The Journey
by Fes
Summary: COMPLETE. A promise made to their mutual friends forces arch enemies Haley James and Nathan Scott to spend 10 days on the road together. If you think driving 3500 miles across the country is tough, try doing it with a person who drives you crazy. Naley.
1. Destination: Somewhere Too Damn Far

The Journey 

Summary:

Naley. A promise made to their mutual friends forces arch enemies and very unco-operative Haley James and Nathan Scott to spend 10 days on the road. If you think driving 3500 miles across the country is tough, try doing it with the person who makes you think that murder/suicide isn't such a bad idea compared to spending a minute more together…

Expect lots of fighting, driving, broken tires, sleazy motels and who knows; there might just be one Vegas wedding.

I am so excited to be back with this new story. Sorry, it took me this long to post this. After I finished _Sunday Night Poker_ I just needed a break from writing. Anyways, I hope the wait was worth it. As always, let me know what you think. What is good, bad? Any comments?

* * *

_Dedicated to the most important person in my life, my best friend and my brother. Happy 18th birthday, bro. Don't ever grow up. ;)_

Chapter 1. Destination: Somewhere Too Damn Far.

Quote of the day...

"Lady, I _am _the police. Now, open the door!"

-Jack Bauer, 24

* * *

Day 1, North Carolina

_August 17th, 2007. _

_My name is Haley James and this is my 7th diary. I finished my 6th one at the proudest moments of my life: my high school graduation and the summer internship following that. I was my high school's valedictorian and was also lucky enough to get the opportunity to work this summer as an intern in a prestigious law firm in Charlotte, NC. But I'm not in Charlotte right now. I wish I was._

_Right now I'm sitting in a car in Tree Hill, North Carolina. Destination: Los Angeles, California. _

_I love Tree Hill. I grew up here and I loved every minute of it. It seems that Tree Hill is almost like a faraway place not really on this earth and I was lucky enough to live in that paradise for the first 18 years of my life. I love Tree Hill so much that even the mere thought of it brings a smile to my face. _

_But I'm not smiling now. Oh, not even close, my friend._

_The thing that has wiped my smile away, the thing that bothers me so much, is that right now I'm not alone in this car. It's not that the person next to me isn't one of my family members. It's not that it's not even one of my friends, or hell; some random suicidal serial killer hitchhiker. Because none of those would bother me as much as he does. _

_Him being the Satan himself/the half brother of my best friend/the basketball star and the man-whore of the before-mentioned small town, none other than Nathan fucking Scott. _

_And right now he's staring at me._

"Are you writing about me?" Nathan asked with that famous cocky smirk of his, one hand resting on the rolled down window and the other on the wheel.

"None of your business, asshole." Haley said without taking her eyes off of the diary on her lap.

"Jeez, what's with the hostility?" Nathan asked the same smirk never leaving his face which made Haley roll her eyes.

"If you must know, yes, I'm writing about you." Haley said suddenly and turned to look at him with an innocent smile. "Only I use: 'Just Another Dumb Jock', 'Asshole of the Decade' and 'Cocky Little Bitch' when I refer to you." She said with a smile.

"Really, Haley, that's sad." Nathan said after chuckling at the new nicknames. They were not even close to some of the ones he had gotten from his ex-girlfriends and one-night-stands.

"What's sad?" she asked with a bored voice.

"Sad that the only thing going on in your life worth writing about is me." Nathan said. "Jesus, no wonder you're single."

"I'm not single."

"Oh yes, the famous rock star boyfriend, Chris Kelly."

"Keller."

"Chris Whatever. Haley, be realistic. You might as well be single."

"And why's that?" Haley asked not sure if she wanted to know.

"Come on Haley. Even though the guy's a loser, he's a frigging rock star."

"So?" she asked with a quiet voice.

"So, have you ever been to a rock concert? Ever seen all those screaming girls in front of the stage drooling over the band while being willing to rip off their bras just for an autograph and more than happy to do so much more for a little sumthin' sumthin' in the back stage? Do you _really_ think the band spends that night alone?"

"Chris is not cheating on me." Haley said stubbornly.

"Sure, whatever you want to tell yourself."

"Shut up, Scott. It's not like you have ever dated anyone for more than a weekend. What the hell do you know about relationships?" Haley snapped.

"Ooh, did I hit a sore spot?" Nathan laughed when Haley wouldn't stop glaring at him.

"Just go back to your driving." She finally said.

"Fine, what was the next exit again?"

"I-95 North, exit 328 B but it won't come for a while." she said opening her diary again and muttering under her breath. "Kinda like the end of this trip."

_One might wonder why I'm in a car with Nathan Scott. Or why the hell we're going north if we are in North Carolina and our final destination is California. Well, let me tell you a story, dear diary. _

_Remember how I just wrote that I ended my previous diary with my best and most proud moments of my life: my graduation and internship? _

_Then it only suits that I'm starting this diary with the complete opposite, the most miserable time of my life: my road trip across the goddamm country with the Fuckhead himself. _

_You wanna know how I got totally duped to do this? It's a fun story. Really. That kind of fun that makes me want to slash my own wrists with this very pen that I'm holding._

Earlier that day

"LUKE!" Haley James yelled in happiness while opening Lucas' bedroom door without bothering to knock. "Are you ready for the best 10 days in our life? It's gonna be- Oh, hi Brooke. I didn't know you'd be here. I figured you'd be still packing your stuff." she said when she got in the room and noticed a very uncomfortable looking Brooke and Lucas sitting on his bed.

"Hey, Haley." Brooke and Lucas said weakly.

"Where are your stuff?" Lucas asked.

"I left them on the porch. Speaking of stuff, where's yours?" Haley asked from Lucas who looked at Brooke for support.

"We might have a _tiny_ problem..." Lucas said holding his thumb and index finger to show how little. Brooke mimicked the motion.

"What? What could possibly be wrong? We're still gonna have our road trip, right?" Haley said joking.

"Well, yes and no."

"What do you mean, 'yes and no'?" Haley said crossing her hands over her chest looking at the couple.

"Well, _you_ are gonna get your road trip... Just not with me." Lucas said slowly.

"Yeah, you already told me that we wouldn't be alone. Nathan and Brooke will come too. I mean, I can't stand Nathan but having you two there will make up for it. Besides, I'm not gonna spend a single minute in the same car with Nathan since we have two cars."

"Well, things have changed..." Lucas said playing with the hem of his sweatshirt. He took a deep breath and stood up to face Haley. "Hales, you know you're my best friend and that I love you, right?"

"Luke, what's the matter?" Haley asked concerned. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach like something bad was going to happen.

"I can't come to the road trip."

"What! Why?"

"I have a doctor's appointment next week. You know, for the heart condition. I'm almost out of my meds."

"I thought you were gonna do that once we got to California? With Dr. Wilson, was it?"

"Yeah, he called me few hours ago and had to cancel. And mom wants me to have that meeting before school starts... So, the only appointment I was able to get with such a short notice was for next week... But it's in Charlotte. So I won't be able to drive with you."

"What about your car?" Haley asked. "Dan gave you and Nathan both cars as graduation gifts. You're taking it with you to Cali, right?"

"I'm getting it sent there."

Lucas looked at Haley who sighed sadly and sat down on Lucas' chair.

"Hales, I'm sorry. I really wanted to come and I know that this road trip was my idea in the first place so we, poor college students, could cut costs..." Lucas said apologetically.

"Oh, it's fine, Luke. Don't worry about it." Haley said feeling guilty immediately. After all, Lucas was the one who was going to miss out on all of the fun.

"It'll be fine. I just feel bad that you can't make it. I mean, Brooke and I are gonna have so much fun." Haley said pointing at Brooke, leaving Nathan's name deliberately out. The less she thought of him, the happier she usually was.

"There's more to the story, actually..." Lucas said feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. He knew Haley would flip out when she heard the whole story.

"What's up?" Haley asked. Lucas looked at Brooke and nudged her on the side when she wouldn't stand up. Brooke obviously wanted Lucas to do all the talking.

"What's going on?" Haley asked suspiciously. Brooke turned to look at Haley with a look that was a mixture of fear and pity.

"What?!" Haley asked. Brooke stood up slowly and swallowed deeply. She let a nervous laugh.

"Uh... Well... You remember how I told you about the fashion show for young fashion designers that I applied to?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah?"

"I got in."

"Really? That's so wonderful! Congrats, Brooke!" Haley said hugging her friend. "Where is it being held?"

"In LA."

"That's great! We're all gonna be there!" Haley said excited. "When is it? I have to make sure I don't work that day."

"When?" Brooke repeated Haley's question. "In 3 days."

"What? But we're never gonna be able to drive there on time." Haley said confused.

"I know." Brooke said. "Which is why I'm flying there."

"So, no road trip? But wait, what about the other car, Nathan's car? Are you sending that one too?" she asked from Lucas before turning to look at Brooke. "And I thought we had to deliver the wedding dresses to your VIP customers in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas."

"Yeah, we know." Lucas said. "You'll get there by car."

"Alone?!"

"No, of course not." Lucas said and took a deep breath knowing that Haley was very close to finding out the truth.

"But who's gonna drive with me if you two aren't- Wait." she then said and looked at Lucas and Brooke in disbelief.

"Yep." Lucas said seeing from the look on her face that she was finally starting to catch the drift.

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes." Brooke said and gave Haley a reassuring squeeze.

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes." Lucas said and patted Haley on the back.

"Oh no no no no no... Please, don't tell me what I think you're telling me. Please don't tell me that Nathan is the one!"

"Hales, it won't be so bad." Lucas said when Haley was still 'no no'-ing. She snapped her head towards him giving him an icy death glare. Lucas took a deep breath knowing that his friend was about to have a "moment".

"Bad? _Bad_?! You're right! It won't be _bad_. Because bad is certainly not a strong enough word to describe what it will be like! Disastrous! Chaotic! Bloody! _Those_ are words that describe it better! What the hell were you two thinking?! Nathan and I can't stand each other! He hates me and I hate him more! He's the biggest asshole I know and he cares about nothing else besides basketball and getting laid. I mean Jesus, he's probably gonna have hookers in the car!"

"Don't you think you're exaggerating-" Lucas tried but Haley was not really paying attention to him.

"We can't spend 10 minutes in the same room without wanting to strangle the other! How the hell do you think we're gonna get through 10 days! This is so not happening!" Haley said her voice growing stronger and stronger with each sentence. She finally stopped yelling when air became a necessity.

Lucas took advantage of the quiet moment.

"Hales, calm down. Take a deep breath. A deep breath... There you go... Nice, deep, breaths..." Lucas said in a soothing voice when Haley started to hyperventilate.

"Yeah, it will be ok, Hales." Brooke said when Haley started to calm down.

"Yeah, of course it will be ok." Haley said suddenly and stood up. "It will be perfect because I'm not going." She said cheerfully. "I'm flying to LA like you two are."

"But didn't you want to try to save money?" Lucas asked. "I mean, that was the whole reason we decided to drive there. To save money so we could spend it once we get there." Lucas said.

"Oh, I'm saving money. The money that I would spend on a shrink because there's no way I'd be normal after 10 days with him. No way." Haley said.

"Do you know how much flight tickets cost? Especially this close to the departure day during the summer time when everyone is flying?" Brooke asked.

"They can't be-"

"500 bucks."

"What the fuck?!" Haley asked not bothering to apologize her language. "Whatever, it's still worth it."

"Haley, think about it." Brooke said. "Part of the deal with my customers was that if I hand deliver the dresses, they will take care of the hotel rooms while we are in the big cities because they have connections. So, you only have to pay for food and cheap motel room rentals for few nights. And some gas every now and then."

"And at what price? My health? My _sanity_?!"

"It's not 500 dollars." Brooke said apologetically. "Haley, listen. I would never ask you to do this unless it was really important." Brooke said.

"Why do you care if I go or not? It's not my car" Haley asked.

"Because I want you to be with the dresses." Brooke said.

"Why don't you mail the dresses?" Haley asked.

"Because I promised to hand deliver them so nothing would happen. I spent the whole summer working on those. The customers paid a lot for them and they expect them unharmed." Brooke said.

"But still, I'm sure UPS can take care of it." Haley said. She was desperately trying to find a solid enough reason not to go.

"Hales, you know wedding dress material. The dresses practically get wrinkled by just touching them. And like I said, I worked so hard for those. They're like my babies and I wanna make sure they go to good homes. I don't trust them with some random UPS guy." Brooke said. Haley sighed and turned to look at Lucas.

"And speaking of sending, why the hell won't you send Nathan's car to LA like yours, Luke? It's not like Dan's really lacking of money..."

"We probably would but Dan and Nathan are not in the best of terms right now and you know how childish Dan can get. Besides, Nathan loves driving and he has buddies from High Flyers all over the country that he wants to meet."

"Can't Peyton go?" Haley asked using her final straw even though she knew Peyton wasn't even on the same continent as she was.

"You know that she can't. She's doing that whole backpacking-through-Europe -thing with her dad. She won't fly back till the day before school starts."

"But still..." Haley whined. She was starting to run out of options.

"And, don't you wanna meet your family? I mean, Matt is in Utah, the twins in Iowa, Quinn in Chicago and your parents will meet you pretty much anywhere you want and who knows, you might just run into Taylor." Brooke said.

"Oh, I can see them whenever I want." Haley said even though she was dying to meet her family.

When Haley still looked to be hesitating, Brooke sighed. She had only one option left, something she didn't want to do but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"And I'm sure you and Chris will cross paths at some point. He's touring the nation, right. I mean, don't you wanna see your boyfriend?" Brooke asked with as little disgust in her voice as possible. It was no secret that Haley's friends and family didn't really care for Haley's rock star boyfriend Chris Keller.

"Oh yeah, him. Of course I wanna see him. But still..."

"Hales, you know how important those dresses are to me. Please, do this for me. For your family. For us." She said pointing at Lucas who was sitting next to her deciding to be quiet because Brooke seemed to be getting through to Haley.

"Brooke, I know you worked hard on them, in fact I even helped you once or twice. And I am so proud of you, but still..." Haley said.

"What if something happens to them? Like you said, you've helped me before with them. You would know what to do if something were to happen." Brooke said. "I want people to take me seriously in this business and I made a promise to those customers. Please, Haley. You know how important this is to me."

"Yeah, I do." Haley said.

Haley did know how hard Brooke had worked to prove herself. And she knew Brooke would never be able to rest if she wasn't sure her clothes were in the hands of someone who knew what they were doing. Haley knew that saying no would upset Brooke, not to even mention harm their friendship. It's not like she really had a good enough reason to _not_ go. Personal reasons would be nothing else but selfish ones and everybody knew Haley was not a selfish person. And not to even mention that she really didn't have 500 dollars.

"Fine, I'll do it."

"You will? Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Brooke said hugging her. "I owe you! Whatever you want!"

"I need clothes." Haley said with a smile. She knew Brooke wouldn't mind making her some clothes.

"Awesome! I'll start working on them while you're on the road." She said clapping her hands together enthusiastically. She was always complaining that Haley didn't dress up enough and Brooke had been begging for months to make her some clothes. So it was a win/win situation for both.

"And you-" Haley said looking at Lucas. "-will do my laundry for a month."

"That's what Nathan wanted too." Lucas said laughing.

"In addition to a fake i.d." Brooke added.

"Does he know that I'm going too?"

"Yeah, he doesn't care." Brooke lied.

"Yeah, right..." Haley said disbelievingly. Then she frowned in confusion. "Wait, you told him I'd go before you even asked from me?" Haley asked.

"We kinda knew we'd be able to get you to go." Brooke admitted.

"You think of me as that easy?"

"No, but we know how much you love your friends and how unselfish and pretty and sweet and gorgeous and smart and nice you are." Brooke said smiling as she threw the compliments.

"Oh, stop it." Haley said laughing.

"It's true." Lucas said.

"Oh, I know." Haley said and smiled. "Well, I can't wait to get to LA and spend my laundry-free month."

"Should be fun." Lucas said sarcastically.

"Hey, laundry is a cheap prize for what I'm doing for you. Besides, it's not like you live very far from me."

"Yeah, your dorm room is like 3 floors above mine." Lucas said.

"Not fair. You two have to promise to not forget about me." Brooke said pouting. "Just because I go to some small fashion school instead UCLA like you two and Nathan..."

"How could we ever forget about you? You're Brooke. _The_ Brooke." Lucas said wrapping his hand around her and kissing the top of her head.

"Besides, Peyton doesn't go to UCLA either. Her art school is even smaller than your fashion school." Haley pointed out.

"True..." Brooke said and then cheered up again. "I know I've said this a million times before but how frigging cool is it that we all get to live in the same city. I thought that only happens in cheesy teen drama TV shows!"

"It is pretty neat, huh." Haley said smiling.

Haley couldn't believe how lucky she was to get to stay in the same city with her best friends. Nathan had been offered a basketball scholarship to Duke but he had decided to accept the one from UCLA because that's where Lucas was going. Haley, who had spent the summer in Charlotte working for a law firm got offered a part time job from the same law firm, just their LA division. She had accepted that in a heart beat since she had already accepted the scholarship to UCLA that covered half of her studies. Brooke's dream had come true when one of the most prestigious fashion schools had accepted her application. After hearing that they all had applied to colleges in LA, Peyton hadn't had to think twice before applying to an art school in the same city.

Haley, Brooke and Lucas all snapped out of their thoughts when they heard a car honk outside.

"That must be Nathan." Lucas said.

"All right, let's break all hell lose." Haley said faking enthusiasm while opening Lucas' door to go outside where Nathan was leaning on his SUV. Haley and Lucas started to take her stuff towards the car while Brooke went to get the wedding dresses from her car.

"Nathan." Haley said politely nodding her head in recognition when she and Lucas got to the car.

"Haley." He said and nodded back at her.

Both Nathan and Haley just stared at each without saying anything, like trying to figure out what the other one was thinking. They were seizing the other, thinking of every possible strategy to survive the other.

"If you don't talk to me, I won't talk to you." Haley finally said.

"Fine." Nathan said. "If you can keep that motor mouth of yours shut..." Nathan said as Haley huffed with a glare.

"As long as you keep all your bullshit crap to yourself." Haley answered already annoyed with him.

"Great, so you're already agreeing on things! Awesome! Now, let's get this show on the road!" Lucas said as Brooke walked towards them carrying several dress bags.

"Ok, you two. Listen up because if you mess this up, I'm screwed." Brooke said and motioned towards the bags.

"There are three dress bags here: green, blue and white. Green as in Central Park, as in it goes to the lady in New York. Get it? Blue as in water as in Chicago, which is by the water, so blue goes to Chicago. And finally white as in how frigging pure you both better be when you leave Las Vegas. Got it?"

"Can't speak for the dumbass but I got it." Haley said smiling sweetly.

"What's the red bag?" Nathan asked pointing at Brooke's other hand.

"This is the emergency bag. Red equals emergency, got it? It has few of my things that I didn't wanna pack on my suitcase but more importantly, it has everything Haley needs for small repairs, although I wish and pray you don't need to open this one. And Nathan, no offence, but you better stay the hell away from the dresses and the red kit. I doubt your basketball skills really do any good in this case."

"Oh, don't worry." Nathan said. "I won't go near them."

"I appreciate that. The dress bags are stain and water resistant. But if anything happens to the dresses or the dress bags, _anything_, call me before you even as much as breath on them. I'll talk you through everything. Now, let me show you how you can hang these above the back seats." Brooke said and took the dress bags and hung them over the third row seats on the back of the car.

"Okay, just don't put any other stuff on the back where the dresses are. You should have enough room for you crap, I mean stuff, with the three second-row-seats and the trunk."

"Gotcha, we'll keep the back clear." Haley said.

There was an uncomfortable silence where everyone looked at each other quietly waiting for someone to say something.

"So, I guess this is it then." Brooke said while rubbing her hands together.

"And you have the directions?" Lucas asked from Haley.

"Yeah, I printed them from MapQuest." Haley said.

"How many miles was it again?" Brooke asked.

"About 3500." Haley said.

"Which is about 50 hours of driving." Nathan said.

"Which means that we'll be in California in about 2 days." Haley said.

"Exactly." Nathan agreed.

"You're not gonna drive the 50 hours straight." Lucas said.

"Oh yes we will." Haley said. "We'll switch every 8 hours. That way while the other drives, the other can sleep and not disturb the other." Haley said looking pointedly at Nathan.

"You think you're driving my car? Think again." Nathan sneered.

"Do you _not_ want to get rid of me as fast as possible? Because I doubt that you're able to stay awake for 50 hours straight." Haley shot back.

Nathan looked at her for few seconds weighing his options. Let Haley drive and get twice as fast to LA or drive himself and spend more time with her? In the end, it was a very easy decision for him.

"We should also get a curtain to separate the driver's side from the passenger's to guarantee maximum isolation and sleep for the other while the other drives." Nathan said.

"I'm already on it." Haley said and started to walk back to Lucas' place.

"Haley, wait." Brooke said. "You can't drive for 50 hours straight even if you would switch drivers. You have to stick to the 10-day-plan."

"And why's that?" Nathan asked annoyed. "I know it doesn't take 10 days to drive and we only needed the few extra days because we wanted to do the whole sightseeing thing in the big cities."

"And since you two totally ditched us to take care of everything, I doubt there will be much sightseeing done during this trip." Haley said.

"Haley, I'm so sorry about this, you know that. But you still have to stick to the plan."

"Why?"

"Because the women that ordered the dresses are busy people. For example, the lady in Las Vegas is on a Caribbean cruise right now because she wants to get a natural tan for her wedding. She won't be back till the day the dress is supposed to be there so you can't deliver it sooner than planned. I set up precise days when my customers will get their dresses, I just can't go changing them even if I wanted to." Brooke said apologetically.

"You're kidding." Nathan said while Haley just looked more and more irritated.

"And Nate, your buddies from High Flyers are expecting to see you too. You don't wanna miss them, do you?"

Nathan and Haley stared at each other realizing for the first time that they would actually be stuck with each other for 10 days straight.

"So, are you two ready to go?" Brooke asked with enthusiasm while opening the passenger door and looking at Nathan and Haley. "Which one will drive first?"

"I will." They both said and turned to look at each other.

"Don't even think about it, James." Nathan said while jingling the keys in front of her face.

"Argh, male ego." Haley muttered while circling the car so she was by the passenger side door.

"Take care, girly." Brooke said hugging Haley. "And thank you so much. I'm gonna start working on those clothes you asked for right away." Brooke mumbled while Nathan and Lucas did one of those manly hugs.

"Hey, drive safe Nate and don't speed." Lucas said and laughed at the look on Nathan's face. "Okay, don't get _caught_ speeding."

"That's more like it." Nathan said and they turned to look at Brooke and Haley who both were practically in tears even though they would meet in less than two weeks.

"Women..." Lucas muttered.

"No kidding." Nathan said while opening the driver's side door. Lucas turned to look at Haley who had just get done hugging Brooke. She held her arms open to him.

"Hey, buddy." Lucas said returning the hug. "I'll see you in few weeks."

"I know, keep me posted on the heart thing, okay? And call me every day just to make sure we haven't killed each other."

"I promise I'll call you every day. And sorry about the change of plans, I know how much you were looking forward to this." Lucas said.

"Hey, don't worry about it. We'll have plenty of road trips to come."

"We will?"

"You do know that Tijuana is like three hours from LA, right?"

"Sounds like a plan." Lucas said grinning.

"It sure does." Haley said letting go off Lucas. "Ok, we gotta leave now. The sooner we leave, the sooner it's over." She said opening the passenger side door and climbing in the car. Lucas appeared behind Nathan's rolled down window.

"Hey, Nate." Lucas said to Nathan.

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked.

"Take care of her." He whispered and pointed at Haley's direction who was sitting next to Nathan, talking to Brooke through her rolled down window.

"I think she'll be fine." Nathan said rolling his eyes.

"Nathan." Lucas said seriously. "She's my best friend."

"Ok, I promise. I'll take care of her." Nathan said for the first time in a serious tone. "She'll be fine."

"Good... Alright, let's get this show on the road!" Lucas said in an excited voice while Nathan and Haley just groaned.

"Can you hear the excitement?" Brooke said laughing.

"Hey, I'm doing this for you, so no sarcasm." Haley said trying to look at Brooke seriously but couldn't help but smile.

"You're right, you're right, I'm sorry. Have an awesome trip." Brooke said.

"I'll try." Haley said as Nathan turned the ignition on.

"Ok, drive safe. See you in few weeks." Lucas said. "And Nate, watch out for her brothers!"

"Thanks again for taking care of the dresses. Love you both!" Brooke said. "Have fun with your fake id's!" Brooke yelled while Nathan and Haley waved at the two.

Lucas and Brooke watched the car drove away.

"You think they'll make it?" Brooke asked still waving at the car.

"Nope." Lucas said the smile never leaving his face.

"Really?"

"Not a snowball's chance in hell."

* * *

"Hey, it's me. I just left Tree Hill. Call me when you get this, there's been a tiny change in plans. Love you, bye." Haley said leaving the message on her boyfriend's answering machine.

"What did Lucas mean by watching out for your brothers?" Nathan asked from Haley once they were on the road and Haley had finished leaving her message.

"Oh, he's just being stupid. My brothers' are awesome." Haley said with a smile.

"Whatever." Nathan said and turned the radio on and started to change the station until angry rap music filled the car.

"You're kidding, right? We're not listening to this." Haley said.

"My car, my music." He said smugly.

_Yes, dear diary, it's gonna be a hell of a long ride. I'll let you know how it goes and whether I will end up strangling him or stabbing him with this pen. Killing myself is also an option at this point._

_Watch out for the blood stains._

* * *

So, any thoughts? 


	2. Tonight’s Forecast: Thunder Storm With A

Hey, everyone. Before going to chapter 2, I wanna thank you all for the awesome reviews. You guys are great!! Enjoy chap 2 and let me know what you think. Cheers. :)

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Chapter 2. Tonight's Forecast: Thunder Storm With A 100-Procent-Chance Of Bitchiness.

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Quote of the day: the people of the Office, episode 2x22

Michael: Okay, you know what? I will not donate my winnings to Comic Relief. Since, apparently, it doesn't exist. I am going to donate to Afghanistanis with AIDS.

Jim: Whoa, I think you mean the Aid to Afghanistan.

Michael: No, I mean Afghanistanis with AIDS.

Phyllis: Afghani.

Michael: What?

Phyllis: Afghani.

Michael: That's a dog.

Pam: No, that's afghan.

Michael: That's a shawl.

Dwight: Wait, canine AIDS?

Michael: No, humans with AIDS.

Creed: Who has AIDS?

Jim: Guys, the Afghanistanannis. (grins)

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_Day 1. 3 pm._

_We've been on the road for 5 hours now. That's 300 minutes… which is 285 minutes more than I expected to last in this car. What have we done in the past 5 hours? Let's recap, shall we? _

_We have argued, respectively, about radio stations, his speeding, which way would be the quickest, his crappy music, his speeding, when to stop for lunch, where to stop for lunch, why the hell we didn't stop for lunch, his speeding, his even crappier taste in music, my awesome "Do you think I'm sexy" ring tone that he for some reason can't stand which meant I played it over and over again just for the kicks, when to stop for dinner, where to stop dinner and just a moment ago we argued about the A/C in the car. Oh, and his speeding._

_I'm telling you, it's only day 1 and we're already running out of subjects. Thank god I can always insult his basketball skills. And then there's always his speed-_

"Did you just fart?" Haley asked dropping the pen she was holding.

"Maybe." Nathan said with a grin.

"You're disgusting!" she yelled while pushing the button to open the window a little bit. "Why do you have to be such a pig?"

"I thought pigs were cute." He said.

"Pigs are disgusting! And so are you! And what kind of person refuses to stop for lunch when the other person is hungry?"

"The kind that was smart enough to bring his own lunch, maybe?" Nathan suggested waving the bag of chips he'd been munching the whole day in the air.

"Ever heard of sharing, asshole?"

"Ever heard of shutting up?" he asked eating the last of the chips and turning the music louder.

"And can we please change the goddamm CD? I'm starting to get sick of this shit."

"I happen to like my choice of music very much."

"It sucks! There's a reason why rap and crap rhyme!"

"What?" he asked turning the music even louder and pointing at his ears as if he couldn't hear her. Haley huffed in annoyance and reached for the pillow that was on the second row of seats behind them.

"I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. Let me know when we stop for food. Any food! I don't care!" Haley yelled. "Ass." She muttered while leaning on the window, holding the pillow over her ears to block the music.

Nathan looked at her with a grin and chuckled. Haley reached out to take her diary and opened it in fury.

_Yes, he's starting bug me. Apparently he loves fighting with me for some reason. I think he gets some weird satisfaction seeing me pissed off. I don't care but I just wanna wipe that fucking smirk out of his face! God!_

Haley dug her vibrating cell phone out of her pocket and looked at the caller id. She flipped the phone open and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lucas, hi... Hello? I can't hear you, Luke. Just hold on... Hey, Dipshit! Can you turn the goddamm music down?! I'm trying to have a fucking phone call here!" Haley yelled at Nathan. He looked at her for few seconds before reaching to turn the music down. "Thank you." She said sarcastically and put the phone to her ear again.

"Hi, Luke!" Haley said sweetly. "Oh, everything's perfect, just dandy. Right, Nathan?" Haley asked from Nathan and flipped the phone so the speaker was towards him.

"Awesome." He said in a monotone, bored voice.

"You see?" Haley said flipping the phone back cheerfully. "Yeah, ain't this great... She's there?... Sure, put her on the phone. Later, buddy." Haley said waited for Brooke.

"Brooke? Yeah, hi... No, everything sucks! This is the worst idea ever and I'm so close to slashing my wrists but this goddamm car just doesn't have anything pointy enough." Haley said and turned to look at the pair of scissors Nathan offered her before she had even finished her sentence.

"Where the hell did you get these? Very funny. I'm surprised you'd be willing to get your new car bloody." Haley said to Nathan.

"In _your_ case?" Nathan asked. "In your case, I'd be willing to slash the tires, tar and feather the leather seats _and_ smash the windshield with my very own wrists while being well aware that I'd be jeopardizing the ability to ever play ball again." He said in a sweet voice.

"You'd be willing to quit basketball for me?" Haley said faking to be touched.

"To get you out of this car? Out of my life? Yeah, I'd consider it." he said annoyed.

"Can you feel the love?" Haley asked sarcastically from Brooke and listened to her for a while. "No, you have to fix this! Book me on the next flight!... But-... I don't-... Brooke-... It's not-... Fine... I said fine!... Ok, bye." Haley said and flipped the phone shut annoyed.

"What did she want?" Nathan asked.

"She wanted to make sure we don't get her dresses bloody." Haley said and looked at Nathan's hands. "So you might wanna put the scissors away."

Nathan looked at the scissors and threw them on the dashboard.

"Dangerous much?" Haley asked. "If you slam the breaks those things will fly straight to my face."

Nathan turned to look at her with mischievous look.

"Don't you _dare_!" Haley said grabbing the scissors from the dashboard and pointing them at Nathan's direction.

"I wasn't going to." He said pouting.

"Yeah, right. The minute I turn my head you'll be putting these back on the dashboard."

"One can only hope." He muttered.

"Ok, I'm done. I need food. Now! And coffee. First gas station you see, we stop!" Haley said waving the scissors madly in the air.

"Ok, put the scissors down. We'll stop, just put the scissors down." Nathan said looking sternly at the scissors as if they were about to attack him any second. Haley reached to open the glove compartment and threw the scissors there before closing it.

"Happy?" she asked.

"Very."

"Awesome, now let's find a gas station before I lose it." Haley said right when Nathan took the first exit out and drove to the gas station that was close by.

"Thank you." Haley yelled and jumped out of the car before Nathan had even put it on park.

"You're welcome." He yelled after her while unbuckling. "You psycho..." he mumbled under his breath.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" Haley asked while filing her nails bored. After a 15-minute-break they were now back on the road. 

"No!" Nathan said.

"Hey, I'm an excellent driver." Haley said.

"Sure you are." Nathan said disbelievingly.

"You should take a break, Nate. You've been driving for 8 hours now."

"Didn't know you cared."

"I do care..." Haley started. "... about my health. If you crash this car because you're tired and the crash in itself doesn't kill you, I will."

"Unless you're the one who's dead." Nathan pointed out.

"Then my brothers will kill you." Haley said.

"Ooh, I'm so scared. Are they as big of nerds as you are?"

Haley stopped filing her nails and turned to look at Nathan surprised.

"You don't know my brothers, do you?"

"Hell no. Why?"

"No reason." Haley said innocently. "You'll meet them during this trip."

"Like I care." Nathan singsonged.

"Well, you should." Haley singsonged back.

"Well, I don't." He singsonged.

"Just get us to New York, will you." Haley said in her normal, annoyed voice.

"Trust me, I'm trying. 2 more hours."

2 hours later

"I'm telling you, we missed the exit."

"Nathan, just follow the MapQuest instructions! What's so damn hard about that?"

"MapQuest sucks! You suck!"

"Very mature, Nathan, _very_ mature."

"Shut up, I'm taking this exit."

20 minutes later

"Nice job, asshole."

"Hey, I got us to New York City."

"We're in the Bronx!"

"Shut up, bitch and let me just concentrate on getting us to Manhattan."

"And _not_ killed, Nathan. Not killed would be nice."

* * *

"Finally..." Haley muttered when they finally got in front of the hotel. She jumped out of the car and went to open the truck where her suitcases were. She took the smallest one out where she had packed all the stuff she would need during the road trip. 

"Hey, at least I got us here." Nathan said while throwing the keys to the valet and taking his duffel bag out of the trunk.

"Let's just get the damn rooms and not see each other until tomorrow night when we have to deliver the dress." Haley said while making her way to the reception. He followed Nathan and almost hit the front door of the hotel when he didn't hold it open for her.

"You could hold out the goddamm door, you know." Haley said annoyed behind him.

"Whatever." He said just as they reached the reception.

"Welcome to the New York Helmsley, how may I help you." The receptionist said.

"Yes, hello. We had a reservation for two rooms under the name of Davis, Brooke." Haley said politely.

"Davis, Brooke? Let me check... Oh, she was the one that called this morning. Said that only two people would be coming so she cancelled the reservation for the other room." The receptionist said smiling. Her smile faded quickly when she saw the shocked, angry looks on Haley and Nathan's faces.

"You fucking kidding me?" Nathan cursed angrily.

"Ex-_cuse me_?!" Haley said more polite but still just as angrily.

"Miss Davis called here earlier-"

"We heard you the first time!" Haley snapped. "Listen to me, woman." Haley started and Nathan looked at her surprised. He knew that she could be mean to him but he had never seen Haley give attitude to anyone else than him, especially to some stranger.

"We've had a very long day. We have driven over 600 miles. We've been in the same car for over 10 hours now and we are gonna be in that same car for the next 9 days so there's no goddamm way we're gonna be spending the nights in the same room as well."

"But-" the receptionist tried to say but Haley wasn't done.

"So, this is what's gonna happen. You will give us our original reservations back. We will have two rooms as planned and in return we promise not to make your life a living hell, which we will if we're stuck in the same room. Capiché?"

"Miss, I'm sorry but we're full." She said now looking even more scared.

"This is unacceptable." Haley said. "We want two rooms! We _need_ two rooms!"

"We can comp your food and drinks but room-wise there's nothing we can do. We're full. I'm so sorry."

"No, this is unacceptable." Haley said.

"Wait, free food and beverage?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, we will certainly do that but unfortunately there are no extra rooms available."

"No, we're leaving." Haley said stubbornly.

"Haley, a word." Nathan said and dragged the protesting Haley away from the relieved looking receptionist.

"What?!" she snapped when Nathan stopped them.

"Free food and free drinks?" he hissed.

"Yeah, so?" Haley asked and Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Addition to being a bitch, are you a goddamm idiot as well? That's a pretty good deal." Nathan said.

"You think they will let you have alcohol? The last time I checked, we were both underage."

"Not according to Brooke's fake i.d's." Nathan said grinning. "The reservation is under Brooke's name anyways, not ours." Nathan said. "Come on, I know you have a fake id as well. Don't be such a bitch."

"Argh, you don't even see how frigging annoying you are being." Haley said wanting to strangle him.

"All part of my charm." Nathan said with a grin. "Come on, Haley. I'll owe you one."

"Fine! But you leave me the hell alone." Haley said.

"Deal."

"Deal." Haley said and Nathan dragged them back to the reception.

"Miss, we thought about it and I guess we'll take that one room." Nathan said and flashed her a grin as Haley tried her best not to roll her eyes.

"Great! Again, we're very sorry for the inconvenience."

"Here are our id's." Nathan said and they both showed their fake id's to the receptionist. So relieved that Nathan and Haley were cooperating, the receptionist barely even looked at the id's.

"What would you like to have?" she asked politely.

"Beer." Nathan said.

"White wine, please." Haley said politely. She was looking forward to a quiet night, taking a long bubble bath while sipping some wine.

"Here are your room keys, you will be staying in the 26th floor." She said and snapped her fingers at one of the bellboys direction. "Jason here will take care of your bags. Have a great stay and if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"Oh, we won't." Haley said smiling.

"So, what are your plans for tonight?" Nathan asked as they waited for an elevator.

"Do you really care?" Haley asked and looked up when she heard the sound of elevator doors opening.

"Nope, not really." He said as they stepped inside the elevator and pressed the right floor.

"Awesome." Haley said bored.

They waited in silence as the elevator passed the first 25 floors before finally stopping on the 26th. They exited the elevator, looked for their room and opened it.

"Not bad." Nathan said looking around. The room had two big beds, a TV and a nice looking bathroom.

"What did you expect? It's a four-star hotel." Haley said and went to check the view. "Oh my god!" Haley said looking out the window her eyes wide.

"What?" Nathan asked and came to stand next to her. "Wait, is that the-"

"The Empire State Building." Haley said looking at the tall building that they could see in the distance between two skyscrapers.

"We can see the Empire State Building from our hotel room, how friggin' awesome is that!" Nathan said excited.

"Pretty nice... Have you been on it?"

"Yeah, once. My mom, dad and I came here for spring break when I was in junior high."

"Sounds like fun." Haley said mesmerized by all the lights in the city.

"Yeah, it was until my dad decided to ruin it all like he normally does."

"Sorry." Haley said sincerely.

"Thanks."

They stared at the people, the cars, the buildings for few minutes in silence both in their own thoughts. The first comfortable moment they'd had so far broke when there was a knock on the door. Haley went to open the door.

"Evening, I have your bags and your beverage." Jason, the bellboy, said.

"Thanks." Haley said and let him inside. He set the beer and the wine bottle on the counter on ice and brought the bags inside. She tipped him and closed the door.

"So, I'm gonna take a long bubble bath to relax from all the anger and annoyance that the day with you so far has caused." Haley said opening her suitcase.

"Whatever." Nathan said taking his cell phone out of his pocket and started to look for his friends' numbers.

"So, you do what the hell you wanna do." Haley said.

"I will." He said not taking his eyes off of the phone.

"I'm probably getting up early tomorrow." Haley said while taking some stuff out of the suit case.

"Don't wake me up." Nathan said. "What time did we have to take the dresses to that woman?"

"8 pm. But you can just leave the car keys to me and I'll take care of it." Haley said and grabbed the wine bottle and the opener and started to open it.

"You think I'm gonna let you drive my car? Alone? In Manhattan? Hell no."

"Fine, so meet me at 7.30 pm in the lobby." Haley said annoyed that he didn't trust her more.

"Fine." He said.

"Don't be late!" Haley said and lifted the bottle opener until the cork was out of the bottle.

"_Don't be late_." He mimicked her in a high voice. Haley just rolled her eyes, grabbed change of clothes, the ice bucket that had the bottle and a glass before slamming the bathroom door shut behind her.

Nathan opened one can of beer and sipped it while scrolling down his name list until he found his friend's number. He pressed call.

"Tom, it's Nathan... What's up, man... Yeah, I'm in the city... We're at the New York Helmsley hotel... It's on the 42nd street, between 2nd and 3rd avenues... We still going out tonight?... Awesome, where do you wanna meet?" Nathan listened to his friend on the phone and suddenly looked towards the bathroom door with a wide grin.

"Yeah, of course the whole gang can come here. Room 2641." He said and flipped his phone shut the smirk never leaving his face.

* * *

Haley had just left another message on Chris' answering machine, finished her hour-long bath and almost half a bottle of wine and was in the process of starting to blow dry her hair when there was a knock on the front door of the hotel room. She heard Nathan make his way across the room and open the door. Expecting him to have ordered room service or more beer, she was surprised to suddenly hear load voices. 

"Nate-dawg, so good to see you!" Nathan's friend Tom said.

"You too, man. Hey, come on in!" he said and let Tom and two other guys from High Flyers in.

"Man, we had to sneak past the reception to get here." Josh said.

"Nice, who wants beer?" Nathan asked

"ME!" they all said and laughed.

Soon the guys' smiles turned into wide grind and few of them even whistled. Nathan who had his back towards the bathroom door, looked at the guys confused.

"What the fuck, Nathan?" Haley asked behind him annoyed.

Nathan rolled his eyes when he heard her voice and turned to look at her. She was standing by the bathroom door wearing a small pair of shorts and a tight tank top and obviously no bra. Her hair was still wet and her other hand was firmly placed on her hip. She was tapping her foot on the floor annoyed and glaring at Nathan. Nathan swallowed hard and concentrated on getting himself together.

"Oh, it's you." He said and went to open another can of beer to distract himself. By the time he had taken a swig out of it, he was back to being his normal confident self. He sat down on Haley's bed, spilling a little bit beer on the blanket and looking at her with smirk that drove her crazy, and not in a good way.

"Argh, get up!" Haley said walking up to him and leaning down so she could start swatting Nathan on the arm. He easily grabbed her wrists and held them.

"Haley, you're being rude." Nathan said still holding her. Haley looked over her shoulder at the three guys. She then looked at Nathan and finally decided to calm down. She got up, freeing her hands from Nathan's grasp and turned to look at the guys with a wide, bright smile.

"Hey guys, what's up. I'm Haley, sorry about that... Nathan and I have some, uh, _unresolved _issues." She said glaring at Nathan's direction before turning to look at the guys again with a smile.

"Hey, no worries. I'm Tom, and these gentlemen here are Josh and Mike." One of the guys said and Haley shook hands with all of them.

"So, you guys are actually free willingly hanging out with Nathan?" Haley said and laughed with the guys.

"So, I take it that you two aren't the best of friends?" Mike asked.

Haley and Nathan looked at each other thinking of a way to explain how they felt about each other.

"That's an understatement." Nathan said.

"Yeah, the only thing we agree on is the mutual hatred towards each other." Haley said.

"Nice..." Tom said. "So, why the hell are you doing the whole road trip together then?" Josh asked. Both Nathan and Haley huffed annoyed.

"Long story short: our friends suck." Nathan said.

"Those bastards... Had some lame excuse for not making here. Weak..." Haley muttered and suddenly heard her cell phone ringing in the bathroom where she had left it. "Excuse me." Haley said and went to the bathroom.

"Dude, why didn't you tell me she was hot?" Josh whispered to Nathan.

"What? No, she's not." Nathan said immediately.

"Dude, she's hot." Tom said.

"Yeah, I gotta agree." Mike said.

"What the hell?" Nathan asked confused. He had known Haley for few years now and had never really looked at her that way, only as the annoying best friend of his half brother.

"No, the question is that what the hell are _you_ doing?" Mike asked.

"Dude, she's hot. Nice. Hot. Smart. Did I mention hot? Go for it." Josh said.

"Shut up." Nathan said just as Haley came back holding her cell phone.

"That was Luke. He wanted to know if we made it safely to the big city. I told him about your wonderful sense of directions." she said sweetly.

"Thanks, ho."

"No problem, ass." Haley said.

"So, how long are you staying in New York?" Josh asked interrupting them.

"We're leaving tomorrow night." Nathan answered.

"So, Haley. What are you doing tonight?" Tom asked.

"Tom!" Nathan said annoyed.

"What? I'm just making conversation with your lovely friend."

"We're not friends." Nathan and Haley said at the same time.

"I think I'm just gonna take it easy tonight. Watch a movie or something." Haley said to Nathan's relief.

"Oh, but that's no fun." Josh said.

"Actually I'm very much looking forward to my Nathan-free night." Haley said grinning.

"Bitch." Nathan muttered under his breath.

"Jerk." Haley said coughing.

"Aww, too bad. We could've showed you the New York party scene." Josh said.

"Sounds great but I really need a low key night, sorry." Haley said.

"Hate to break the discussion but we really need to get going." Nathan said to his friends.

"Nice to meet you all." Haley said to the guys.

"No, it was our pleasure. Next time you're in New York, call me." Josh said with a wink.

"I will." She said and watched the guys gather their stuff and head to the door.

"Nathan, we need to check out by noon but I'm getting up the latest by 9 am so leave me your car keys and I can take my stuff to your car."

"I'm not giving my car keys to you. Just pack your stuff and I'll take all of our stuff there."

"Ok, whatever. Remember, 7.30 pm in the lobby. Don't be late!" Haley said.

"Whatever..." Nathan said leaving the room annoyed. The guys followed him one by one. Haley grabbed the last guy's arm.

"Hey, Josh. I've got a favor to ask."

"Yeah, what do you need?"

"Can you look after him?" Haley asked quietly nodding at Nathan's direction. Josh turned to look at Nathan who in the hallway, laughing with the other guys.

"Yeah, of course."

"Just, you know, make sure he gets back here safe and all." Haley said.

"Yeah, of course. Don't worry." Josh said.

"Ok, thanks. It was nice to meet you." Haley said.

"Yeah, you too." He said and started to walk away. Haley watched the guys walk to the end of the hallway and wait for the elevator.

"Have fun!" she yelled and blew a kiss to the guys.

"Why don't you go back inside and not annoy anyone for one night? How about that?" Nathan yelled while stepping into the elevator.

"Fuck you." Haley singsonged with a smile and burst out laughing when the last thing she saw before the elevator doors closed, was Nathan's middle finger.

* * *

So, any comments? Thoughts? Please, lemme know what you think. :) 

-Fes-


	3. Which One Hurts More: Love Or A Car Acci

AN: Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews. Please, keep them coming. Anyways, here's chapter 3. Sorry that I took so long with it. I promise to update faster from now on. :) Don't forget to review this chapter. :)

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Quote of the day:

"Because it's what Jesus would FRIGGIN' do!"

-Izzie, Grey's Anatomy

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Chapter 3. Which One Hurts More: Love Or A Car Accident?

Day 2, 7.25 pm, New York City

"_Congrats, you reached Nathan's answering machine. If you're hot, leave a message. If not, then why the fuck are you calling me?"_

BEEP

"Nathan, it's me, Haley James, your beautiful and smart travel buddy. I'm still at the hotel lobby and leaving a 4th message on your retarded answering machine. Where the fuck are you? We're supposed to deliver the dress and you have the car keys. You better be here in the next five minutes or so help me god I will kick you so hard you won't be able to even _think_ about having kids and then-"

"And then what?" Nathan asked behind her. Haley turned around and shut her cell phone.

"You got the keys? You checked us out in the morning, right? And took our stuff to the car? _My_ stuff too?" Haley asked and stopped to breathe in air.

"Yes, yes, yes, unfortunately yes." He said answering the questions.

"Awesome, let's go." Haley said and started to drag him away. They got outside and Nathan handed the keys to the valet.

"So, how was your day?" Nathan asked looking around bored.

"Awesome." Haley said in the same monotone voice and then turned to look at him.

"Great."

"Can you even drive? Or are you still drunk, you little fuck? Which reminds me that if you ever drink again and for some godsaken reason we happen to be sleeping in the same hotel room, try to pass out on your _own_ fucking bed. Next time I won't nice." She said annoyed.

"Nice? I woke up bruised! What the hell did you even do to me?" Nathan said pointing at the small bruise on his forehead.

"I threw you out of my bed and you fell face down." Haley said with a smirk.

"What about the bruise on the back of my head?"

"I might have completely accidentally thrown a remote control at you." Haley said smiling sweetly.

"You bitch! Look at the bruises you gave!" Nathan said lifting his shirt and showing her the bruises on his side. Haley looked at the bruise but almost immediately her eyes moved from his side to his front which meant his stomach. Specifically his abs. Which looked good in the sun light. _Really_ good.

"First night and I'm already bruised?" Nathan said looking at the bruise. "What's next? A hammer? I bet by the end of this trip I'll be in a wheelchair." He said and lowered the shirt while turning to look at her. Haley snapped out of her staring and looked at him.

"Huh? A wheelchair? Yeah, sounds awesome."

She said quickly. Nathan looked at the flustered girl in front of him and was about to say something but the valet drove back with his car.

"Have a nice day, sir." The valet said as he got out of the car.

"You too, man." Nathan said tipping him and getting behind the wheel. "Got the address?"

"Yep, take a right." Haley said fastening her seat belt and looking at the directions.

* * *

Beep 

"_Yes?"_

"Is this the residence of Mr. Von Hertzen?

"_Yes."_

"We're here on the behalf of Brooke Davis. We have the wedding dress." Haley said to the buzzer. They were standing outside the apartment of the the first wedding dress customer.

"_Yeah, I'll buzz you in. It's apartment 24." _The woman said in a bored voice. Haley looked at Nathan with raised eyebrows who just shrugged his shoulders not really interested.

After the buzz, Haley and Nathan opened the front door and searched for the right apartment while making sure that the green bag Haley was holding wouldn't get wrinkled. They finally found apartment 24 and rang the doorbell.

A young woman who was smoking a cigarette and couldn't be bigger than a size 0, opened the door and looked at them while yawning bored. Haley and Nathan wondered if she was going to invite them in or not.

"Oh yeah, the dress. You can set it in my bedroom." She said and walked away leaving the door open. Haley and Nathan looked at each other and stepped inside the apartment.

"Is it.. this way?" Haley said, the last words quieting down because the young woman had simply waved her hand in the air as if she didn't care before disappearing into one of the many rooms in the apartment.

"Okay then... bitch..." Haley muttered under her breath while starting to go room by room to find the bedroom.

"I think we got it." Nathan said while holding the door open to one of the bedrooms. Haley carefully set the green dress bag to hang from the door and smoothed the bag material.

"I hope she can appreciate this..." Haley said looking at the dress in awe. "It took Brooke over three weeks to finish this one."

"Whatever. Can we go now? I wanna drive as much as possible tonight." Nathan said bored.

"Why do you always have to be so insensitive? I mean, you're acting like a-"

"Who the hell are you?"

Nathan and Haley whipped around to see a hansom man in his late twenties standing by the bedroom door. He was wearing a size too small wife beater that showed every single muscle on his upper torso. Haley and Nathan quickly decided that he was a football player.

"Hello, sir. We're here on the behalf of Brooke Davis." Haley said politely.

The man looked at them with no emotions or signs of recognitions. He blinked.

"Brooke Davis." Haley repeated. The man blinked again.

"The dress maker." Haley clarified when the man still didn't seem to understand.

Blink.

Nathan rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the man.

"The wedding dress? For your fiancé? You _are_ aware that you're getting married?" Nathan snapped when the man still didn't seem to know what was happening. Apparently the sarcasm helped the New Yorker to understand because his emotionless, bored expression changed into an excited one.

"Oh, yeah. You're the dress maker's friends. Did my golddigging-skank-of-a-future-wife let you in?" he asked in a tone that was anything but joking.

"Excuse me?" Haley asked.

"Did she let you in?" the man asked more slowly.

"Umh, yeah she did." Haley said. "I think she went to one of the rooms in the back." Haley said.

"Yo, Casey! Get your skinny ass here!" the man yelled towards the door.

"Oh, it's not necessary." Haley said. "We already met her."

"Oh, she should be here. It wouldn't be fair that a gorgeous woman like yourself drove all the way from North Dakota-"

"North Carolina." Nathan interrupted annoyed.

"-just to deliver a dress." Mike finished with a flirtatious grin while totally ignoring Nathan.

"What the fuck do you want, Mike?" A very angry looking Casey yelled while storming in the room.

"Your wedding dress is here and you don't even care?" Mike asked, the flirtatious grin very quickly turning into an annoyed frown.

"Oh, don't act all Mr. Looking-Forward-To-Marriage, you dick. Who the fuck did you bring here last night? That model whore from 'Marquee' again?" she yelled.

"Model whore? You must be describing yourself, baby." Mike said with a smug smile.

"Maybe we should-" Haley started but got cut off by Casey.

"At least I don't bring some random guys over without even introducing them to you." Casey yelled to Mike.

"Oh, I would've introduced what's-her-face to you if you hadn't been so fucked up again. I found you passed out on the living room couch. Jesus, you could at least use your own credit card when you sniff coke."

"Why the hell would I do that? Yours is the only reason I'm marrying you." Casey said.

"Ok! I think we should-" Nathan said motioning between himself and Haley and the front door but the couple ignored them once again.

"Oh, go to hell, whore." Mike said to Casey.

"You're such a hypocrite. You love the fact that I'm a model." Casey said looking at her long nails with a bored expression.

"I could get any model I wanted." Mike said.

"Then why don't you?" Casey asked walking slowly towards Mike until she was right in front of him. "Because I'm the shit." She whispered on his ear while running her hands under his tight shirt.

"Yeah?" he asked with a grin.

"I'm the one who's on the cover of Vogue and who's friends with Donnatella Versace and Carl Lagerfeld. I get paid at least double compared to any regular model. For god's sakes, I'm booked for the next three LA fashion weeks. I'm the hottest model there is. And _that_ is the reason you're not getting anyone else. Because anyone else would be settling down. And why would you want to settle down?" She purred in his ear.

"And our publicists think the marriage is the best move for us."

"Totally."

"You're right, baby. We are the shit." He mumbled as his hands started to wander under her tight shirt, undoing her bra.

"And that's our cue." Haley said. "We'll be going now. If there's anything you need, you can contact Brooke. You have her number, right? Awesome." Haley said starting to drag Nathan away from the room.

"What? This is just getting interesting." Nathan said looking at Haley. Haley looked over his shoulder at the couple and nudged her head towards the couple.

"Oh yeah?" she asked.

Nathan turned around to look at Casey and Mike and quickly turned back with a horrified look.

"Yeah, we need to leave." He said pushing Haley out and closing the door while making sure he didn't see Casey finish taking Mike's pants off like she had started a second ago.

"That was awful!" Haley said while they ran down the stairs. "I mean, how can they imagine getting married if the guy's already cheating on her while she doesn't even care because she's on drugs? Jesus..."

"I'd do her." Nathan said opening the front door of the apartment building and walking out without bothering to keep it open for her. Haley, who almost hit the door before opening it herself, looked at him disgusted.

"I know you would. But you wouldn't marry her, right?"

"Well, she _was_ hot."

"She's a drug addict."

"She's a model."

"I know you're shallow and all but even this is a bit too much from you." Haley said while buckling up.

"Your problem is that you are completely disconnected from reality. You live in a fairytale land where all the couples end up happily together and no one ever gets divorced." Nathan said reversing from the parking spot. "News flash, James. This is not a fairytale."

"Oh, you think I'm not cynical when it comes to love?" Haley asked angrily.

"Ooh, having problems with your cheating boyfriend?" Nathan asked sarcastically.

"All I'm saying is that marriage should be pure and innocent." Haley said deliberately not answering Nathan's question about Chris.

"Your wedding day is supposed to be the best day of your life." Haley continued. "Something that you look forward to your whole life. Marriage should be valued. It should be about love, not about wealth, status or fame. I mean, don't you want your future wife, the mother of your children, to be the love of your life? The most important person in your life?"

"You know what true love and the Eastern bunny have in common?" Nathan asked dryly. "Who gives a fuck because neither exists." He answered and turned to look at Haley.

"There's no such thing as true love, Haley." Nathan said bitterly while thinking about his parents and their marriage. "Snap out of your fairytale, princess."

_August 18, close to midnight_

_So, our first dress "giveaway" totally sucked. Why the hell would two people who hate each other so much want to get married? It can't be all because he's rich and totally hot and she's a gorgeous, skinny model/slut. _

_It almost makes me feel that true love doesn't exist. _

_Nathan and I had an interesting conversation about marriage and love. He brought up Chris... Is it really that obvious that Chris and I are having issues or is he just mean and happens to hit a sore spot?_

_He said that true love doesn't exist but that can't be right. I mean, I love Chris. Sure, we don't really see each other that often and I haven't talked to him in a week and I don't really even have those butterflies anymore when I'm with him, but there's still some sort of loyalty and kindness between us. I mean, love isn't supposed to be perfect but we care about each other. And that's love, right? Right?_

_Anyways, we are almost in Bellafare, PA. Yeah, I've never heard of it either. It's been like 4 or 5 hours since we left NYC and Nathan's been driving the whole time. The dick won't let me drive at all. I'm not that bad of a driver! Sure, I've hit a mailbox once or twice but who hasn't? Seriously._

_Oh, I have some big news! After that very positive true-love-doesn't exist –discussion, Nathan and I reached our first settlement! Wanna know how the hell it happened?_

"Your music sucks, Nathan."

"D-12 does not suck... In fact, they only _get_ sucked."

"Eew, you're so disgusting."

"And you're a princess."

"I'm _so_ not a princess."

"I _so_ don't care."

"Ugh! Turn the music off!"

"Shut up!"

"I'll shut up if you'll turn it off!"

"Deal!"

"Deal!"

"God, you're annoying."

"Ditto, asshole."

_And that was the settlement. Aren't we so mature? He brings out the teenage bitch in me and apparently I manage to bring out the asshole, jerk in him. How very nice but surprisingly, we've kept our deal. _

_We made the whole deal over two hours ago. Yes, dear diary, we have sat in silence for two hours now. Normally this would be impossible for me but right now I'm thanking all the higher powers for the wonderful peace and quiet._

Haley closed the small, red book and put it in her bag. She turned to look at Nathan who was yawning.

"If you're tired, I can drive." Haley said.

"What did we agree on?" he turned to snap at her.

"But-"

"No buts. I'm driving. You're quiet."

"It's almost midnight." Haley said looking at the digital numbers above the radio. 11:54.

"One more hour then we'll stop." Nathan said. "Now, shhh!"

"Fine." Haley said and held up her hands in defence when Nathan looked at her after she said 'fine'.

Haley unbuckled her seat belt and fell lower on her seat to get a more comfortable position. She reached for the pillow and tucked it between her head and the door. She closed her eyes and let her sore muscles relax.

Nathan yawned again and looked at Haley whose breathing had become deeper and slower. He turned his attention back on the road.

It was pitch black outside, the only light was the one coming from the headlights of his car and the occasional lamps here and there. He hadn't seen any cars in the past 30 minutes and was starting to think that the whole place was deserted.

The silence in the car, the deserted streets and Haley's almost hypnotically deep and steady breathing made Nathan more and more relaxed. Thus, more and more tired. And the fact that he had slept about 5 hours the previous night didn't help. Without even noticing, his eyes started to drift close.

Haley woke up from her sleep when she heard a long, load honk. She opened her eyes and got almost blinded by bright headlights. She crabbed the wheel in panic as soon as she realized that the bright light was coming from the headlights of a truck. A truck, that was right in front of their car.

"Nathan!" she screamed as she turned the wheel right to avoid the possibly deadly collision. Nathan had also snapped out of his sleep when he had heard the honk. He immediately slammed the breaks down and also grabbed the wheel.

The car swerved right, barely avoiding the collision, the side mirrors practically scratching the side of the truck. The car finally stopped on the side of the road as the truck kept going, still honking angrily.

The sudden stop made the unbuckled Haley slam against the dashboard while still holding on to the wheel in panic. With shaky hands, Nathan put the car on park and looked at Haley with his mouth open in shock.

"I'm so... Uh... That was... I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" he mumbled incoherently under his breath.

"Huh?" she asked still confused. She was practically on the floor hanging from the wheel when she snapped out of her shock and panic.

"Are you trying to kill us?!" she screamed in a high, loud voice.

"Haley, I'm so sorry."

"That's it!" Haley screamed in anger while trying to get up from the floor. "I'm driving! Get out of the car!"

"But-"

"NOW, NATHAN!" she screamed in fury.

She had never been so mad in her life and was surprised to find that kind of anger in her. In fact, she was so mad that it was actually starting to hurt her physically.

Never seen anyone so furious, Nathan quickly unbuckled and opened the door without saying anything. Haley watched in annoyance as Nathan stepped outside. She groaned as she pulled herself off the floor and sat properly on her seat.

Still angry, she started to open her door but the shooting pain on her neck, that she had thought was the outcome of her fury, stopped her. She groaned again and held the back of her neck in pain. Few seconds later when Haley wasn't stepping out of the car, Nathan opened his door and peaked inside.

"Are you coming or not?" he asked. He looked at Haley with a confused look when he saw her looking straight ahead while holding her neck. "Haley, what are you doing?"

Haley turned to look at him slowly with a tearful, scared face, still holding her neck.

"I think we need to find a hospital."

* * *

"... and then she said her neck was hurting. And since we're in the middle of fucking nowhere it took as a while to find a hospital... No, she's not paralyzed, Luke... Oh, how do I know? Um, maybe because ever since the accident she has walked, sat, yelled and punched me. Repeatedly, might I add... I'm sure it's nothing serious, Luke... Yeah, I'll have her call you right away... Sorry, I woke you up. I just thought you'd wanna know... Yeah, bye." 

Nathan hung up the phone and looked around him with a deep sigh. He was sitting in the hospital waiting room between a crying baby and her teenage mother/nanny and a man who was bleeding from his forehead. A lot. Nathan spotted a Pepsi machine on the corner and dug a few one-dollar-bills from his pocket. He bought the drink and walked up to the window.

With a sigh he took a sip of the cold drink while staring at the black car in the parking lot, the one that he had almost crashed an hour ago.

After the near collision with the truck, they had quickly gotten back on the road and Haley had calmed down, "calm" in her case meaning not being hysterical or panicking anymore but still loud. _Very_ loud. Like a megaphone-on-the-ear –loud.

The whole ride to the hospital Haley had yelled at him for being so careless and how she had been right and how she would now be forced to wear one of those "hideously disgusting neck protector thingies that must make your neck sweat so frigging much that it'll feel like you're in a goddamm sauna only you're so fucking not", as Haley had put it.

Normally, he would've yelled back but the guilt he felt was too strong so he had just let her yell and be mad.

"Nathan."

Nathan turned around and saw Haley walking towards her. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that she didn't have to wear that neck protector thing.

"You ready?" she asked and started to walk towards the exit before he even answered.

"Yeah..." He said and followed her quickly. "So...?"

"So what?"

"So, what did he say?" he asked concerned.

"Who?"

"The doctor."

"What about him?"

"What did he say?"

"The usual, you know."

"No, I don't. That's why I'm asking." He said annoyed. Haley stopped on her tracks and turned around.

"Are you actually giving _me_ attitude? You fell asleep on the wheel after I had suggested switching drivers or stopping to spend the night because you seemed to be getting tired. And now you have the nerve to be _mean_ to me? After almost paralyzing me? _Killing_ me?!" she asked dramatically, her hand on her hip while her voice grew louder with every word.

"I'm sorry! I've been saying that for an hour now! Just please tell me what the doctor said."

Haley looked at the guilty expression on Nathan's face and breathed out deeply to calm herself down. She loved being a drama queen, every woman did, but she was also too nice of a person to do so if it made someone feel bad.

"Nothing's broken or anything. He gave me some pills and this pain relief/muscle relaxant lotion/gel that I have to rub on my neck like every fucking hour. It's supposed to relax the muscles or something like that."

"That's it? Pills and gel? That's all they gave you?"

"Well, he said that if it doesn't help then I could try a massage or as a last result, see a chiropractor."

"Does it hurt?" he asked with a guilty voice.

Haley looked at him and was about to let the drama-queen in her surface again but the afraid, guilty look on his face made her change her mind.

"Nah, it's just a bit sore. It'll be fine. Let's just find a motel or something. I need sleep and I want to get on the road early tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, let's go." he said.

"What a night, huh." Haley said as she opened the car door.

"Yeah, I so need a drink." he mumbled while starting the car.

"And just to make it clear, the only reason I'm letting you drive now is because there's a motel like 200 feet from here. Think you can manage that without falling asleep?" she asked sarcastically.

She expected a comeback from him but was surprised to hear the exact opposite.

"I'm glad you're ok, Haley." He said in a quiet, serious voice and looked at her so intensively with his piercing blue eyes that it left Haley speechless.

Her mind was screaming her to say something, anything, but not a whisper came out. It was as if her head and mouth weren't connected at all. She finally managed to nod her head in appreciation.

He nodded back at her and drove away. Haley looked at him for few seconds and then dug out her diary.

_Something tells me that I might actually survive this trip. I think I may been wrong about him. Who knows, he might not be the alcoholic asshole like I thought he was._

She set the pen down thoughtfully and looked at the line she had written. She then looked around to search for something made of wood but then settled on knocking the dashboard before mumbling something under her breath.

"Knock on wood."

* * *

So, any thoughts:) 

-Fes-


	4. Special Of The Day: Spicy Arguments With

Hi ya'll. I'm back with chapter 4. Thank you so much for all the great reviews. You rock! Hope you enjoy chapter 4. And don't forget to review. :)

* * *

The Quote of the day: 

"But, Mulder, the new millennium doesn't begin until January 2001."

"Nobody likes a math geek, Scully."

-Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, the X-Files

* * *

Chapter 4. Special Of The Day: Spicy Arguments With A Side Dish Of Sarcasm Served On A Sympathetic Platter. 

Day 3, Pennsylvania

Haley took a deep breath and knocked on the motel room door next to hers. As she waited for Nathan to open it so they could finally hit the road, the previous night's events filled her mind. Everything from the near collision with the truck to being in the hospital and finally seeing some sort of humanity in Nathan.

"_I'm glad you're ok, Haley."_

She had played those words over and over again in her head. It wasn't even the words, it was the way he had said it, the way he had _looked_ at her. Those eyes had haunted her throughout the entire night.

Up until that point, Haley hadn't really thought of Nathan as anything else besides an asshole jerk who cared about nothing else besides basketball and getting laid.

Just as she had written on her diary, she was starting to see a real person behind that facade. She was actually looking forward to spending the day on the road with Nathan so she could get to know him better.

Nathan woke up to the sound of a knock on his motel room door. He opened his eyes and groaned while forcing himself to get up from the bed and walk to the door. He opened the door with a yawn.

"Morning." Haley said looking at Nathan with a grin. He was leaning on the door frame wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. His eyes were almost closed because of being so tired and his dark hair looked like it hadn't seen a comb in years.

"You look like shit." Haley said with a grin and looked over his shoulder inside the dark room. "And so does your room." she said and walked under his arm that was resting against the door frame so she could get inside the room, while trying to ignore the fact that he looked absolutely gorgeous shirtless.

"Why are you being annoying?" Nathan groaned as he flopped down on the bed, snuggling the pillow.

"I told you I wanted to hit the road early." Haley said with a grin.

"I didn't know you meant in the middle of the night, Haley." He mumbled in a tired voice.

Haley pulled the curtains away from the window and let the bright sunlight in the room. "Get your sleepy ass out of the bed, Nathan. It's noon."

"Like I said, the middle of the night." he mumbled.

"Get up. You can sleep in the car." she said and pulled the covers from his bed.

"Who's gonna drive then?"

"Oh, I thought that was already settled." she said sweetly. "Since you almost killed me last night there's no way in hell I'm letting you drive." she said.

"Fine, whatever." he mumbled still not getting up.

"Get up, Nate. We need to leave. I already checked us out and we have 30 minutes to get out. And you need a shower." she said her nose crunched in disgust.

"You're annoying, did you know that?" he asked while slowly getting up from the bed.

"You may have mentioned that once or twice." she said with an innocent smile.

"Great. Now get the hell out of here." he mumbled while searching for a towel.

"Is that a way to talk to someone who you almost killed?"

"You're gonna keep reminding me of that for the rest of my life, aren't you?" Nathan said with a small grin finally starting to wake up.

"Hell yeah." she said and smacked him in the ass with the towel she had found. "I'll be waiting in the car. Hurry the fuck up."

* * *

"Took you long enough." Haley said when Nathan finally opened the passenger side door. 

"What's the hurry?" he asked.

"Chicago is 9 hours away." She said as she left the parking lot.

"We're driving there today? I thought the dress needed to be there tomorrow. Do we even have a reservation for a hotel?" he asked confused.

"My sister lives just outside of Chicago. I promised to visit her."

"Thanks for asking me." Nathan said pouting. "I mean, it's not really fair that you just decide for the both us what to do." He said and looked at her with a face that clearly said that he was messing with her.

"Oh, quit the act, Nathan. We both know you don't give a crap where you spend your nights." Haley said smiling.

"So, it's ok if we start to decide on things without asking the other?" Nathan asked.

"Well-" Haley started.

"Because did I ever tell you about all the great basketball arenas that are right on our way? I mean, there's at least one in every state and I'd be more than happy to drag you- I mean, _take_ you to all of them. And some might say that they're all the same but only a professional, such as me, can tell the difference. But I'm sure you'd be able to enjoy them if you really tried-"

"Fine! Shut up!" she said and glared at him when she saw him give her a cocky smirk. "Fine! Nathan, do you mind if we spend the night at my sister's place?" Haley asked with a sarcastic politeness.

"No, of course not. Why would I?" He asked sweetly.

"What?! Argh! You are so-"

"Gorgeous? Sexy? Hot?" Nathan suggested with a smirk.

"Try annoying."

"You really need to come up with something new. I think we've both established that we find the other annoying."

"Shut up." She said and then narrowed her eyes at him. "And since when do you blabber? I thought that was what girls do when they want something."

"I guess I've spent too much time with you." He said with a grin that earned a quick smile from Haley.

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, can you hand me the CD case from the back?"

"You don't seriously think we're listening to your music?" he asked as he handed the small CD case to her.

"Hey, since I'm driving, I get to choose the music. So, shut it." She said and inserted a CD inside the player.

_We in the car, _

_we ride slow. _

_We doing the things _

_that the girls don't do._

"You're kidding, right?" he asked when Danity Kane started to blast from the speakers.

"Nope. And you can thank Brooke for this wonderful CD." Haley said with a grin.

"Do you even like Danity Kane?"

"This is the first time I'm listening to this CD. I'm sure you'll love it." She said knowing that Danity Kane was the farthest thing from Nathan's taste of music.

"Wonderful." Nathan said and groaned while closing his eyes. "Now, there's no way I'm gonna be able to fall asleep."

"Dude, don't hate the player, hate the game."

* * *

"... so then Rocky just started flirting with all these guys and Alex, that's the ex, got totally pissed off even though he was asshole enough to ask for girls' numbers right in front of her like two minutes after they broke up! I know what you're thinking-" 

"I seriously doubt that."

"-what an ass, I know! So, then he called her a slut or something and she was all devastated and shit. I mean, it was heartbreaking. So sad. But you know what?"

"Do tell."

"They went to Prom together! So weird, I know! But then he made a scene or something but guess what?"

"Mmhmm?"

"After graduation he gave her a promise ring because she was a year younger and had her senior year still left. How frigging romantic is that!"

"Very."

"So, that was Alex and Rocky's relationship from the third season of Laguna Beach. And I already told you all about the LC-Stephen-Kristen –triangle, right."

"Uhhuh."

"You caving yet?"

"Never."

"So, it's only suitable that I continue with Cameron and Kyndra's relationship."

"Yep."

"Yay!"

Haley squealed excited before starting to tell the extremely long and painful story, at least that's how Nathan felt about it.

For the past three hours Nathan and Haley had had a dare. It had all started when Nathan stole Haley's CD case after getting tired of listening to her music, which was about 15 minutes after they left the motel.

First Haley had cursed herself for not doing the same to Nathan's rap collection but then she had decided to fight back. She had asked him nicely, then demanded, after which she resolved to yelling. When nothing had helped she had settled on punching him with her right hand. Repeatedly.

After that they had both discovered very quickly that Haley was not the most coordinated person, at least if the way the car swerved right every time she punched him was any proof. After that Haley had threatened to not stop for food at all.

She had kept that for about 10 minutes until she had gotten hungry. Then Haley had gotten the master idea. Since she couldn't physically force him to hand her CD's back, she had decided to use the agelong trick every woman knew.

To bore their man to death.

Ever since the realization, Haley had blabbered about all and everything. Make up, music, romantic movies, candle lit dinners, ice cream, mac and cheese, clothes, and more recently: the relationship developments of several teenage reality TV shows including the queen of all: Laguna Beach.

So far, Nathan had been looking out the window with a bored, suicidal, 'help me' –look but being as stubborn as he was, he refused to cave in. And Haley had nothing but time.

"... so then she just kissed him, which was totally cheating her boyfriend, I mean how much of a slut is she? And then she made this huge scene but ended up together with her ex anyways..."

* * *

"Natasha Bedingfield?" 

"No. P. Diddy?"

"No way. The Sounds?"

"Nope. The Game?"

"No. The All-American Rejects?"

"No. Snoop Dogg?"

"No! God, don't you listen to anything besides rap?"

"God, how many times have you asked that already?"

"Sheryl Crow?"

"No!"

"Argh! Focus Nathan!"

"Hey, I told you this was a bad idea!"

"You didn't really leave me a choice after taking all my CD's, you ass!"

"Whatever, they all suck."

"You suck!"

Nathan and Haley had been on the road for over 6 hours now.

After Haley had probably done a Guinness World Record by babbling the longest about subjects the guys care the least, they had decided to try to settle their little music dilemma.

They decided that they would try to find 5 artist or bands they both liked and both could also choose 3 on their own. They had immediately chosen their own but hadn't reached any sort of agreement on the mutual bands yet. It had been over an hour.

"We're never gonna find something we both like." Nathan said.

"Well, we wouldn't have to do this if you just let me listen to my music since I'm the one who's driving." Haley pointed out.

"It's my car." Nathan said.

"Let's just try to find some band or artist we both agree on, ok?" Haley said.

"I seriously doubt that since you only seem to like crap." Nathan said. "What were your three choices again? Michelle Branch, Snow Patrol and The Fray. Crap, crap, crap."

"Oh, what about yours then? D-12, Eminem and 50 Cent."

"Which are all excellent choices."

"Whatever. You're missing the big picture here, anyways."

"Which is?" Nathan asked bored.

"That it's only day three. We still have a week left of this marvellous little road trip of ours. And it's only getting harder and harder for me to hold myself back from strangling you." Haley said through gritted teeth.

"I'd like to see you try that." Nathan said with a smirk.

"And I'd like to see me succeed in it." Haley said mentally picturing the wonderful image of finally shutting up Nathan for good.

"With those little hands I doubt you'd be able to kill a fly even if you wanted." He said.

Haley tried to punch him again just like Nathan predicted. He grabbed her hand with his right one as he held the wheel with his left one, knowing that she couldn't punch him and drive the car straight at the same time.

Haley looked at him furiously and pulled her hand away from his while bumping him with her shoulder to let go of the wheel.

"Hey, I'm driving!"

"Doesn't look like it." Nathan mumbled.

"You're starting to piss me off..." Haley singsonged cheerily, the forced smile never leaving her face.

"And you're almost killing us." He replied in the same voice.

"Just shut up."

"Ditto."

Haley was about to say something back when she saw the flashing red and blue lights in the distance.

"What the fuck..." she mumbled while they came closer and closer to the lights.

Nathan looked at Haley's confused gaze and followed it. He sat up and buckled up quickly when he saw the police cars.

Haley slowed down and followed the police officer's hand signals. One car right behind them, she drove the car to a small parking lot where they had been directed. It was a parking lot of a motel and it was already filled with cars.

"What the hell is going on?" Haley mumbled while unbuckling. She and Nathan got out of the car at the same time as a young police officer walked by.

"What's going on, officer?" Haley asked from the cop.

"Haven't you been listening to the radio? A truck that contained hazardous material fell on its side. The roads are closed because they want to secure the whole area." He said looking at Nathan and Haley.

"Do you know when the roads will be opening again?" Nathan asked.

"Not until tomorrow morning, if even then."

"So, no roads are open? We're stuck here? Until tomorrow morning at least?" Nathan asked not believing their luck.

"Yes, sir."

"You're kidding me." Nathan said.

"Just wanted to let you know that this is the only motel within 50-mile-radius and it's starting to get pretty full, in fact I think I heard someone mention there's only one available room. So, unless you want to drive 50 miles back or alternatively spend the night in your car, I'd suggest you'd get going now." The cop said looking between the two.

"There's no way I'm sharing a room with you again!" Nathan said looking at Haley when the cop left.

"Well, you can sleep in the car then because I'm taking that room." Haley said and took her overnight bag from the car.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You're not the one who's getting the room! I am!" he said and also took his bag from the trunk before closing it.

"Haley, get back in the car!"

"Nathan, get back in the car!"

"I'm not sharing that room." Nathan said stubbornly.

Haley sighed deeply and looked around. She saw the same cop talking to a young couple who had driven behind them. The couple looked at Haley and Nathan and quickly got out of their car and started to gather their stuff from the car.

"Nathan, unless you want us _both _to lose the room and spend the night in the car, you better start running." She said and pointed at the couple.

"What the hell?" he asked looking at them. The guy of the young couple looked at Nathan for a second before sprinting towards the motel.

"Whattaa...?" Nathan asked still confused.

Haley grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Think, Nathan. Alone with me in an actual motel room or in a tiny car?"

Nathan looked at her for a second before sprinting after the guy.

"Go get the room, Nathan. Go get the room!" Haley cheered.

"Go Steven! The bitch has got nothing on you, honey!"

Haley glared at the blonde girl who was standing next to her cheering for her man.

"What did you just say?" Haley asked.

"Your guy's got no chance." The girl said smugly.

"Oh, yeah? My Nathan's so kicking your guy's ass." Haley said.

"Never gonna happen."

"Wanna bet twenty on it?"

"Sure." she said.

The girls walked to the motel together. Once inside they saw Nathan and Steven talking to each other loudly next to the reception that had a "FULL" sign on the counter. Haley and the other girl, Laura, walked up to the guys.

"Honey?" Laura asked and looked at Steven hopefully.

"Nathan, please tell me you got the room." Haley said.

Nathan and the other guy turned to look at the girls.

"Have some faith, Hales. Of course I have it." Nathan said and flashed the room key to her. Haley squealed loudly and hugged him quickly.

She then turned to look at Laura who was swatting the poor Steven angrily. Haley coughed loudly and looked at Laura with a smug grin while holding her palm open. Laura sighed angrily and slammed a twenty-dollar-bill on her hand.

"Nice doing business with you, honey." Haley said. "Wanna bet whose guy can bench press more? Throw more free throws? Hell, I'd even put my money on Nathan beating your guy at golf."

Laura huffed annoyed and dragged Steven away from Haley and Nathan.

"What the hell was that about?" Nathan asked as they walked back outside to their room.

"Just a little friendly bet, nothing more. We won twenty bucks!" she said and jumped excited.

"Nice." He said and looked at her closely.

They walked up to their hotel room, opened the door and stopped in their tracks when they saw the bed. The _only_ bed.

Never breaking eye connection with the bed, they both held up their fists in the air and 'knocked' them three times before turning to look at them. Haley had a rock, Nathan a paper. He covered her fist with his hand with a smirk.

"Paper covers rock." He said and flopped down on the bed with a grin while reaching for the remote.

"Out of three?" she suggested as Nathan turned the TV on.

"Nope." He said. "But I can share." He said with a grin and turned the TV off when he couldn't get any channels because of the bad reception.

"No, thanks. You'll probably end up bringing some bar slut here and I don't feel like _ménage à trois_ tonight." She said.

"But you normally do?" he asked with a grin.

"You're disgusting, Nathan." Haley said with a huff. "I need a shower. And this time when I come from the bathroom it would be nice if there wouldn't be a room full of strangers." She said referring back to New York when Nathan had invited all of his friends to their hotel room.

"Whatever. They were selling some sort of food and beverage by the reception. I'm gonna try and score some food and if god wills, alcohol. Anything you want?"

"Besides you and your soon-to-be drunken ass gone? Nope. Not really." She said slamming the bathroom door shut behind her.

"Bitch..."

20 minutes later Nathan came back with two bags of "groceries". He looked at Haley who was sitting on the bed wearing a pair of shorts, a tank top and a towel in her head while flipping through the channels bored.

"What's up?" he asked while unpacking the grocery bags.

"Nothing." She snapped while shutting the TV and getting up from the bed.

"You hungry?"

"Depends what you bought." She said and looked in the bags. "Beef jerky, two cans of Battery and Cheetos." She scrunched her nose in disgust and looked at Nathan. "White trash much?"

"Hey, considering we're stuck in the middle of nowhere with a motel full of people, there's not that much of a selection out here." He said.

"What's in the paper bag?" she said and looked inside. "A bottle of vodka and a six-pack of beer. Not very original, Boozy."

"Anything to get by your company..." he muttered while pouring himself a drink. "Want a drink? You know, there might be the slightest possibility that you're only a bitch when you're sober."

"How the hell can you even drink this often? This is like the 2nd time in three nights. Does your new coach approve of this healthy lifestyle?"

"Well, since season hasn't officially began yet..."

"Figures that I had to get stuck with the wrong Scott." She said annoyed.

"Hey, why don't you shut your bitchy little mouth for one minute since there's nothing to do in this place."

"Bite me, asshole." Haley said and dug for her cell phone that was in her purse by the door. She took her cell phone and started to scroll down the menu to find the right number.

She hit dial and waited for the longest time until she got the answering machine. She sighed loudly before leaving her message.

"Hey mom, it's your daughter Haley... The last one, in case you've lost count. Give me a call." She ended the call and chose another number.

She pressed dial and waited for someone to pick up the phone. Again, it went to answering machine. She huffed annoyed while tapping her foot impatiently.

"Hey Chris, it's me again. Just wondering what you're up to. Give me a call when you get this. Miss you. Bye."

She hung up the phone annoyed while mumbling something incoherent under her breath and chose another number. She pressed dial and again had to wait for the voice mail. By this time she was fuming.

"Luke, I'm still missing your daily call and for some godsaken reason no one's answering their FUCKING PHONES! So, be a dear and call your best friend before she decides NOT TO BE ONE!" she said practically screaming the last words. She pressed end call before she said something she would regret. She looked at the phone in annoyance before throwing it back in her purse in anger.

The whole time Nathan had been watching her every single move carefully. How she had gone from sad to annoyed to furious. He poured some vodka in a glass and filled it with battery and handed it to her without a word. She accepted it gladly and took a few sips before whipping her head down and taking the towel off of her head. She groaned when she felt the pain on her neck.

"Your neck is still hurting?" He asked when she rubbed it lightly.

"No, I just like to look like it is hurting." She snapped.

"So, the lotion and the pills didn't help?" Nathan asked ignoring Haley's attitude.

"I wouldn't know. The pills just made me sleepy and I never used the lotion." She mumbled.

"What? Why?"

"Because every time I tried to bend my hands so I could apply it to the back of my neck, it hurt so much that I wanted leave the comfort of my room and find you in the middle of the night so I could strangle you for causing the pain." She said annoyed.

"Do you need some help with the gel?" he asked once again ignoring her attitude.

"And let you touch my neck? No, thanks."

"Fine, be a bitch. Just don't complain and whine anymore." Nathan said annoyed.

Haley winced as she touched her painful neck again.

"Wait!" she said and sighed. "You're right, I may have been a bit on the edge today." She admitted slowly and almost laughed when Nathan gave her a 'No shit' look. "I'm sorry." She said.

"It's ok. You need help?" he asked when Haley picked up the muscle relaxant gel from her purse.

"Sure." she said and went to sit on the floor in front of the bed.

"It hurts like right at the back of my neck and the upper back." She said as she gave the bottle of gel to him.

"Here?" he asked while massaging the gel on her neck.

"Yep, that's the spo- Oh my god." She moaned.

"What?" he asked and froze on the spot.

"Don't stop." She said when Nathan quit the massage afraid that he was hurting her. He slowly continued the light touches on her neck.

"You ok?" he asked when she moaned again.

"Stop asking me that and concentrate on the neck." She snapped and realized that Nathan might stop the massage if she was rude. "Please?" she added with a sweet voice and a wide smile.

Nathan chuckled as he continued the light massage.

They stayed like that, Nathan massaging her neck softly and Haley enjoying the relaxing touches, neither keeping track of time. Neither said anything, just enjoyed the relaxing peace and quiet. Nathan took advantage of the relaxed atmosphere.

"So, wanna tell me why you've been acting like a PMS-ing Brooke the whole day?" he asked quietly.

She opened her eyes and was about to say something but then decided to just take a sip from the drink.

"Is it because of your parents and Luke?" Nathan asked when she didn't answer. Haley took another sip and shook her head.

"No, not really." Haley said. "I mean, yeah I'm pissed that no one's answering their phones but that's not the reason." She said quietly.

"Then what is?" he asked.

"It's Chris." Haley said quietly as Nathan rolled his eyes annoyed. He had quickly learned to hate the guy after spending three days listening to Haley leaving messages on his answering machine.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Lately he's just been so distant. I mean, we were never really as close as couples normally are because he started his tour and everything but I learned to live with that. But now he's not even answering his phone anymore. I don't remember when was the last time we had a discussion for more than 30 seconds." Haley said playing with her hands that were on her lap. It was so hard for her to admit it to anyone, especially Nathan who had been saying that all along.

"I'd hate to say 'I told you so'..." Nathan mumbled.

"But you're gonna say it anyways. Gee, thanks. I feel so much better." Haley said sarcastically while taking a sip from her drink.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. I'm just probably not the best person who can help you." He said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've probably noticed that I'm not the biggest gentlemen when it comes to dating and girls and all that." He mumbled.

"Yeah, why are you like that, anyways?" Haley asked interested. "Is it really all because of sex? Getting laid?"

"No! I mean, that's obviously a perk and all but it's not the reason. I like hanging out with girls. I like flirting and all that. But I just haven't found anyone who'd interest me for more than one night. I guess they haven't been my type."

"What is your type? Loose, blonde and C-cup? Have you ever thought that that right there might be the reason you haven't found someone interesting enough?" Haley asked.

"Don't get all Dr. Freud on me." He said.

"Fine, live in denial." Haley said smiling. "Just remember what I said the next time you dump another dumb blonde."

"Oh, whatever. I thought we were supposed to discuss your pathetic love life, not mine."

Haley's face fell at the reminder of Chris. She started to get up from the bed but Nathan grabbed her arm gently.

"I'm sorry. That was rude." He said looking at her sincerely. "But you shouldn't be with him if he makes you feel like crap. You know you could do better, right? You _deserve_ better."

"Thanks." She whispered tears glimmering in her eyes. She took a sip of her drink to calm herself down.

"Anytime."

"You know, why don't we discuss the band selection. I think I might be ok with Diddy. I've heard Press Play is supposed to be pretty good." She said clearly wanting to end the discussion of Chris before she would embarrass herself by bursting out crying.

"Really? Because I'd be down for The All-American Rejects."

"Really? Awesome. What else is there..."

"Foo Fighters?" Nathan suggested.

"Yes! We can have Kanye and the new Jay-Z."

"Thanks!" he said smiling.

He then lifted his plastic cup of beverage in the air.

"I'd like to propose a toast."

"Oh god, you're drunk." Haley muttered with a grin but held her plastic cup in the air nevertheless.

"To our first real agreement." Nathan said ignoring Haley's comment. "May this be the start of a beautiful friendship."

"Or an interesting one at least."

"Cheers!"

* * *

So, there you go. Lemme know what you think :) 

-Fes-


	5. Frenemies And ‘Just Friends’ Don’t Exist

Hey y'all and thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I appreciate them so much, you have no idea. Please keep them coming. :) Hope you enjoy chapter 5!

Quote of the day: Scrubs.

"Yeah, I'm only four months pregnant, ace. Move it along before I eat you! Chop chop!"

-Pregnant Jordan to the hospital orderly, who thought she was the one in labour.

* * *

Chapter 5. Frenemies And 'Just Friends' Don't Exist So What Does That Make Us? 

Day 4, Illinois

"... so then Tim decided that it would be funny to push her in the pool. You should've seen Brooke's face. I have never seen her so mad."

"Oh my god, I can't even imagine. What did she do?"

"Not much... Only kneed him before throwing him _and_ his cell phone and iPod in the pool."

"Oh my god! Remind me never to get on her bad side."

Haley and Nathan were once again on the road, this time somewhere in Illinois, heading towards Chicago. The atmosphere was definitely lighter and more relaxed because of their previous night's conversation. They had had their first deep talk and both were now happy to be getting along.

"So, are we stopping at your sister's place?" Nathan asked sitting on the passenger seat.

"Nah, she said she'd meet us in the city. But you don't have to come. I know you have friends in Chicago who you probably wanna meet." She said tapping the wheel along with the music.

"Oh, I don't mind meeting her."

"You say that now..." Haley mumbled. "You really don't want to meet her."

"Why? Now you got me intrigued!" Nathan said smiling.

"Fine, you can tag along. Just remember that murdering her is illegal in the state of Illinois."

"She's that bad? What was her name again? Vivian?"

"No, that's my other sister. We're meeting Quinn."

"You have two sisters?"

"Actually I have three sisters-" Haley said.

"Really?"

"- and three brothers." She finished with a smile.

"WHAT?!"

"I come from a big family."

"No kidding. So, you're the youngest?" Nathan asked.

"Yep. Matt is the oldest, 28. Lives in Utah with his wife and three kids. The second oldest is Vivian. She's 27, pregnant, has a pair of twins, and lives in Minneapolis with her husband. Quinn is 25, also pregnant, lives in Chicago. She's married and has one kid. Then there are the twins: Chris and Brian. They are 22 and they both go to the University of Iowa. The last one before me is my sister Taylor. Age: 21. Location: unknown. After that it's just me. My parents still joke about making a few more babies."

"Somehow I don't doubt that." Nathan said grinning. "So, Christmases must be pretty hectic for you guys."

"Yep... When I was a kid I used to hate having a big family. There was never any privacy. I always had to share my room with someone and the bathrooms were always occupied. After Taylor and the twins left I kinda realized that big families are not that bad."

"You miss your siblings?" Nathan asked quietly.

"Yeah, sometimes. We keep in touch a lot but it'll never be the same." Haley said with a sad smile. "So, you're like the total opposite. An only child. I mean, there's Lucas but you didn't really hang out with him till last year."

"Yeah, I was definitely an only child." Nathan said keeping his eyes on the road. "I always asked for a brother or a sister and after we found out about Lucas, my mom used to joke around and say 'You never know how many siblings you might have. Thank your dad for that'."

"And in Tree Hill, everything's possible." Haley said with a smile.

"Exactly." Nathan said. "So, why did you decide on UCLA? Luke told me you got accepted to Brown."

"Six months ago I got an internship to work this summer in a law firm in Charlotte which I did. The same law firm has offices all over the country. An intern's spot opened in LA and they offered that to me and I decided to take it. They told me about that possibility like six months ago so I knew to apply to some West Coast universities. When I learned that I'd gotten the internship in LA, I chose UCLA which had just accepted my application."

"That's random…" Nathan said confused.

"Yeah, I know. Pretty confusing but in the end everything worked out perfectly."

"Makes sense. So, I guess we'll be seeing each other a lot."

"Yeah, you're rooming with Luke, right?"

"Yep. God help me." Nathan said laughing.

"Hey, don't worry. He's a good roommate." Haley said and patted him on the shoulder before turning to look at the road again. Nathan laughed at first but then turned to look at her with raised eye brows.

"How would you know that?"

"Oh, we used to have sleepovers all the time when we were kids. And I practically spent the whole senior year at his place because my parents were visiting my siblings and their newly borns. Karen and Lucas insisted that I stayed with them." Haley said.

"I never saw you there..."

"Oh, I usually stayed away when you were around." Haley said smiling.

"Why?"

"I don't know if you noticed..." Haley started and leaned over towards him so she could whisper in his ear. "...but we didn't really get along."

Nathan burst out laughing.

"No, I never noticed that." He said still laughing. "We did give Lucas hell when Tim and I found a bra on his floor. Then again, he _did_ say it was yours because you were living there but we didn't believe him."

"Oh, yeah. He told me about that." Haley said laughing. "Before he begged me to keep my shit in my drawer."

"You had your own drawer? And yet you still keep wondering why people think you're a couple." Nathan said with a grin.

"Okay, first of all: eew. And second of all, why the hell does every one still think that a boy and a girl can't be best friends?" Haley asked.

"Best friends? No, never. Friends with benefits? Definitely."

"Okay, that's just disgusting. Lucas is like my brother."

"So, you two've never been a couple?"

"Nathan!" Haley yelled disgusted while trying to stay focused on driving. "Do you _want_ me throw up in your car?"

Nathan quickly held up his hands in the air in defense.

"Ok, ok, calm down. He's like a brother. Got it." Nathan said.

"Good."

"Just difficult to imagine." Nathan mumbled.

"Why?" Haley asked and looked at him curiously.

"I think you're the only girl in Tree Hill who _doesn't_ have a Lucas-crush. I mean, Peyton dumped me for him. Rachel and Brooke fought over him for, I don't know, 8 months! And not to even mention that he was voted Prom King and 'the person most likely to stay both nice and hot'. Do you want me to continue?"

"Nathan, I'm sorry to break this to you but Peyton didn't dump you for Lucas. She dumped you because you were an ass. And Brooke's been in love with Lucas since she met him which was the reason why Rachel also wanted him. And what comes to his titles? You're one to talk, Mr. Homecoming King and 'the person most likely to score a model'. Do you want _me_ to continue?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." he mumbled.

"Of course I am." She said and looked at him. "Wait, you're not jealous of Lucas, are you?"

"No, of course not. Why would I be?" he said defensively.

"You shouldn't." Haley said and started to pick her nails nonchalantly that were resting on the wheel. "Considering that he was raised without a father, has worked since he was 15, went through shit when he first started playing for the Ravens, almost got killed in a car accident, oh and has that little heart condition thingy that could, you know, KILL HIM." Haley said and turned to look at him pointedly when she said the last words.

"Ok, ok, so he hasn't had it easy." Nathan said.

"None of us has, Nathan." Haley said quietly. "Though I gotta give it to you that him being raised without a dad turned out to be a good thing. I mean, look how much shit Dan has put you through." Haley said and turned to look at Nathan who had a pained expression on his face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open up any old wounds. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." he said and looked at her quickly. "So, you know a lot about my dad?"

"I hear things..." Haley said uncomfortably. She wasn't sure whether Nathan was OK with the fact that she knew such personal things about him and his family.

"I mean, mostly from Lucas..." Haley said. "And sometimes Karen. I have worked with her for years so I kinda hear things every now and then..." Haley trailed off.

"Yeah, I get it..." he mumbled.

"Ok, change of discussion... How about we play a game?" Haley asked excited.

"What?"

"Yeah, we still got like what, an hour and a half till we get to Chicago, right?"

"A game?"

"How about... um… radio game!"

"What?"

"Radio game. You know, kinda like Magic 8-Ball. You ask a question and choose a radio station randomly and there's your answer." Haley explained with an excited voice.

"Look, I'll go first." Haley said when Nathan still seemed to be in doubt about the fun of the 'radio game'.

"Um, let's see. What are Lucas and Brooke doing right now?" Haley asked and started to flip through the radio stations. She suddenly stopped and listened to the broadcast excitedly.

"_I'm a slave for you. I cannot hold it; I cannot control it.  
I'm a slave for-"_

"Eew!" Nathan yelled as he turned the radio off.

"My ears!" Haley yelled as she covered her ears with her hands.

"The wheel!" Nathan said and grabbed the wheel that was left free because both Haley's hands were still covering her ears.

"The visual images…" Haley moaned in disgust still hiding her face.

"Ok, you need to be driving here, Hales." Nathan said leaning over still holding the wheel.

"Yeah, you're right. No intentions on dying on this trip." she mumbled while taking hold of the wheel. Nathan let go of it slowly while making sure she got things under control.

"I'm so not calling Brooke or Lucas today. Eew. They're like a couple of… horny bunnies or something." Haley said scrunching her nose in disgust.

"At least they're getting some." Nathan said trying to think positive.

"Going through a bit of a dry spell, are we?" Haley asked grinning. "Not that I care or anything." she added quickly.

"Yeah, of course you don't." he said with a grin. "And my sex life is awesome, thank you for asking. Now, can you say the same about yours?"

"Mine's great." Haley mumbled a bit uncomfortable talking about her sex life.

"Oh yeah? Didn't you just complain how you never see your boyfriend anymore? And something tells me you're not the cheating type." Nathan said then added something under his breath. "Though he would totally deserve it."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't see him often and no, I'm not the cheating type. But there are other ways to um, _enjoy_ oneself." she finished with a grin.

"Huh? What do you mean- Wait! Whoa! Are you talking about um, _brooking_ yourself? Because that would be totally hot and sexy and completely awesome and- Oh man, I just got the visual image." he said looking up with a dreamy grin.

"Easy there, player. Whether I have a Frisky Ferret or not-" Haley said and giggled when Nathan groaned again. "-and what I may or may not do with it, it's none of your business. It's my business. _Literally_." she said and laughed even louder when Nathan closed his groaning again.

"God, you need to stop talking or I'm the one who's gonna be doing the brooking." he said and wiggled his eyebrows. Haley looked at him and slapped him on the side.

"Ok, discussion's getting a bit uncomfortable." Haley said trying to hide her blush.

"Ok, change of discussion." Nathan said and grinned when he saw Haley's flushed face. "Because if you get any redder you'll turn into a traffic light." he said.

"Shut up…" she said with a smile.

"Then again, red is on top so you'd be on top which has to be you're favourite position. I know you've got the naughty in you, James."

"Shut up!" Haley said in an embarrassed voice. "Change of discussion! For good! Let's talk about… cars! Let's talk about cars!"

"Ok, keep your pants on, James." he said with a grin. "Actually, speaking of cars… This is like the second day in a row you're driving. I'm kinda starting to feel left out." he said pouting.

"Ooh, is your manly ego hurting when there's a woman behind the wheel?" Haley asked happy that they were no longer discussing her sex life.

"All I'm saying is that you're the girl and I'm the guy and the guys usually drive."

"Geez, what it this, the 1950's?"

"That's just the way it usually goes. Besides, doesn't Lucas usually drive you everywhere?"

"Maybe." Haley confessed smiling.

"He does, doesn't he! Actually now that I think about it, excluding this trip, I have never seen you behind the wheel before."

"Ok, point taken. We'll switch the next time we stop. Happy?"

"I don't know. _Am I_?" he asked with a mysterious voice while flipping through the radio channels before stopping randomly.

"_I, I feel so alive _

_for the very first time  
I can't deny you.  
I feel so alive…"_

"I guess you are." Haley said with a small smile when she heard the familiar P.O.D song. She turned to look at Nathan only to find him staring back at her.

Their eyes met and neither said anything. It was like the time had stopped. Gone were the wiggled eyebrows and cocky grins. As a matter of fact, neither even smiled, just looked at each other. Haley had never seen Nathan like that; not smirking or making inappropriate jokes. He just stared at her with his big, blue eyes wide open.

Suddenly remembering she was still behind the wheel, she blinked and turned to look at the road in front of her feeling flushed all over again. She cleared her throat and started to tap her fingers on the wheel madly.

"I need to pee." she announced suddenly and turned the wheel abruptly to take the first exit out.

"Ok…" he said scratching his head confused. "You ok?"

"Uhhuh." she peeped and nodded her head but didn't take her eyes off of the road.

Nathan also had felt the moment and the spark between them but being used to ignoring girls, he could shook it off better than Haley. But for some reason though, when they got to the parking lot of some random gas station and she jumped out of the car and ran towards the bathroom, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

For the first time ever, he saw her as something other than the annoying best friend of his half brother. He saw a cool, beautiful, smart and funny girl who just seemed to be exceptionally clueless about love and choosing the right boyfriend.

"Ok, Haley. Snap out of it." Haley said to herself as she closed and locked the bathroom door behind her.

Haley looked at the mirror and her reflection in confusion. Something seemed to be off. Different. _Changed_.

She then looked at herself even more carefully. Brown hair with light streaks, brown eyes and pink lips after applying 'Pink Glow'. Haley narrowed her eyes confused. Nothing was different. Haley then realized that she didn't look different, she just looked _at_ herself differently. She sighed deeply still staring at her reflection.

"Your boyfriend is Chris Keller. You love him." She said to herself but couldn't help but roll her eyes annoyed. "Though he hasn't answered your calls in days and usually doesn't pay any attention to you..." she then looked at her reflection guiltily. "Nevertheless, he's still your boyfriend. So quit bashing him... That's what your friends and family are for."

"Nathan is an ass. He was horrible to Lucas when he first started basketball and has been an asshole to you ever since. Remember, he only cares about getting laid and playing that stupid ball game." She said even though she didn't believe a word she had just said.

She looked up with a dreamy, thoughtful look.

"Though Nathan does have an _awesome_ body and he's pretty funny too. Who knows, maybe he might be something else then you thought he was. Oh what the hell, you _know_ he's something else. He might even be better for you than Chr-" she got interrupted when there was a knock on the door.

"IN A MINUTE!" she yelled towards the door angrily because of being interrupted of her daydream. She turned to look at her reflection again.

"Snap out of it, Haley. Chris is your boyfriend. Crappy one? Maybe. But still your boyfriend." She said sternly to herself before starting to shake her head lightly while letting out a deep sigh.

"And now you're talking to yourself. Very healthy." She mumbled to herself before opening the bathroom door and glaring at the impatient girl waiting behind it. She made her way to the car where Nathan had already switched to the driver's side.

"You ok?" he asked as she sat down on the passenger side and buckled up.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

"You just look a little flushed, I guess." Nathan said while getting back on the interstate 80.

"I'm fantastic. Just perfect." She said and forced a smile. "Why don't we continue our radio game?" she asked changing the subject.

"Sure... as long as there are no questions concerning Brooke and Lucas."

"You read my mind." Haley said a relieved smile. "You wanna start?"

"Sure... Um, what do I wanna know?... Ok, here's one. What should we do in Chicago?" he said out loud and pressed play.

"_Get buzzed, get crunked, get drunk, get fuucked up..._

_Shake that ass for me, shake that ass for me."_

"Is that the radio?" Haley asked surprised that the swear words weren't bleeped.

"Yeah- Oh no wait, I pressed CD accidentally. Does that still count? Because the whole part about getting fucked up sounded pretty damn good." he said with a grin.

"Sorry, it doesn't count. Try again."

"Ok, let's try this again. What should we do in Chicago?" he asked and this time made sure to press radio.

"_Shake you money maker_

_like somebody's bout to pay you-"_

"Oh my god." Haley said and laughed that the song was practically telling the same as the previous one.

"Must be faith, Hales. We're destined to party in Chicago." He said and turned to give her a grin.

"Looks like so." She said with a small smile.

He nodded his head and looked at the road in front of him. Haley couldn't take her eyes off of him. Admiring the black wife beater and especially how it made his biceps look, she could feel the same flush creeping on her face. The difference was that this time she wasn't only blushing, but also for some odd reason she was feeling sick to her stomach.

Had she thought about it any longer, she would've realized that it wasn't nausea she was feeling.

_She had butterflies._

* * *

So, there was chapter 5... Any thoughts? What was good? Bad? 

And now to some advertising (you've been warned). :) I've recently become extremely addicted to _Friday Night Lights_ and would like to take this opportunity to spread the word about the great show. :) It has brilliantly talented writers and actors and it's been critically acclaimed. For some reason though it has had poor ratings throughout the season and it's not sure whether they have a second season at all. In my opinion it's one of the most underappreciated TV-shows on air right now. So, right before One Tree Hill, take the time and check out the great show. :) It's on NBC on Wednesday at 8/7c.

Oh, and if anyone knows any Friday Night Lights fanfiction websites, please lemme know. :) Anyways, take care and thank you SO much again for all the great reviews so far. Please, keep them coming. :)

_Clear minds, full hearts, can't lose.  
_


	6. Dude, What Comes Before Part B?

Hey, everyone. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. They Rock. And please keep them coming. Meanwhile, please enjoy chapter 6. :)

* * *

Quote of the day: Prison Break. 

Sucre: What's another word for love?

Michael: What's the context?

Sucre: Oh you know, the "I love you so much I ain't never knockin' over another liquor store again" -context. Except, you know…but classy.

-----(later)-----

Sucre: Passion? What were you thinking?

Michael: Hey. You went for it.

Sucre: She probably thinks I went sissy up in here. You know, got more than one syllable, too much talking. (Michael smiles throughout this.) That's me from now on. One syllable. Yes, no, love, hate, love.

* * *

**Chapter 6. Dude, What Comes Before Part B?**

Day 5, Chicago

_So, Nathan and I finally got to Chicago. It's been a weird few days to say the least. Yesterday when we were still on the road I freaked out in a bathroom of some random gas station and started to talk to myself...Now later on, I feel bad of all the bad things I said about Chris. He may be distant and he may not call me every day (or every week) but he's still my boyfriend and I have to respect that._

_My bathroom freak-out and the awkward dinner with Quinn (which I'll tell you more very soon), weren't even the weirdest things that happened today, or to be specific yesterday, considering it's 10 am now... _

_Wanna hear the weird/kinky part? Up until a few minutes ago I was in my hotel room with three guys I barely knew while Nathan was laying on my bed clad in nothing but boxers. And guess what? _

_The three guys just left. _

_And in case you're getting senile, dear diary, that means that in addition to me, there's only Nathan in the room. My hotel room. And dear god, he's only wearing boxers (did I mention that already)._

_Wanna know what the hell is going on? Well, let me start from yesterday..._

Previous night, 6 pm.

"How's my hair? Is it messy? Dirty?"

"It looks fin-"

"It's greasy, isn't it? I knew I should've washed it better the third time. What about the make up? Too trashy? Oh my god, it is too trashy, isn't it? What about the skirt? Too short?

"It looks goo-"

"And the top might be a bit too revealing, huh. Oh my god, it _is_ too revealing! I look like a slut!"

"No, you-"

"I'm a slut! I look like a whore and my sister's gonna kill me! Not to even mention that my niece is gonna see me! She's gonna think her Aunt-Haley is a prostitute! It's bad enough that her Aunt Taylor was a table dancer! Oh my god, she's gonna hate me and- oh, how friggin' perfect, now I'm hyperventilating!"

"Haley, calm down. You look fine."

"The hell I do."

It was 6 pm and Nathan and Haley were finally in Chicago. They'd gotten to the city around 1 pm and after eating lunch, they'd went to their hotel and gotten settled in. This time Brooke hadn't messed up their room reservation and they both luckily had their own rooms. After napping for few hours they'd met up and left to meet Haley's sister, her husband and their daughter for dinner.

"What the hell's gotten you so stressed out, anyways? Since when do you care what you wear?" Nathan asked from the stressed out Haley while walking towards Navy Pier, their destination where Haley's sister and her family was waiting for them.

Haley turned to look at him with a glare.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Nathan turned to look at him with that look that could only be described as 'deer in headlights'. He swallowed hard.

"No, I didn't mean-"

"So, you think I have no taste in fashion? That I don't pay any attention to my looks? That I look cheap? _Ugly_?"

"No! All I meant is that you're not one of those people who spend hundreds of bucks on clothes that they only wear once... Besides, even though if your hair was messy, your shirt too revealing, your skirt too short, why the hell would you care what anyone thought?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I don't care what people think. I care what _she_ thinks."

"Why?"

"Because she's family. And she's one of those people who make sure that their opinions are heard and known."

"So, she's mean?"

"Let's just say that she's a prosecuting attorney and _really _good at what she does." She said and turned to look at what Nathan was wearing. His Air Jordans, a pair of faded Abercrombie jeans and a button up shirt with a wife beater under it.

Her eyes finally traveled to his face, only to find Nathan grinning at her.

"Finished checking me out?" he asked smirking. "You know, I could flex my muscles and do a few push ups too." He said laughing and kissing his biceps when Haley looked at him sternly.

"Well, what do you think? Pleased what you see?" he asked still grinning.

"Not bad. The jeans were a good idea. Quinn hates shorts. And thanks for not wearing a plain t-shirt. She thinks t-shirts are only meant for exercising." She said.

"Jeez, she sounds like a bore. She doesn't even know me. Why would she judge me?"

"If she finds a weakness, she attacks. And now that she's pregnant again, her mood swings are even worse." Haley said and then turned to look at Nathan apologetically.

"I'm sorry I'm dragging you to this. She's not a mean person. She just has a habit of saying things before thinking. She really is a nice person and loves her family but she just has a very strong personality. I wish you could've met Vivian, she's a much cooler person."

"Hey, don't worry about it. At least it's gonna be an interesting dinner, right?"

"You've got that right." Haley said and looked at the 'Bubba Gump Shrimp' sign above the door. "We're here. You ready?"

"Yep, This is gonna be fun." Nathan said stepping in the restaurant.

"We had a reservation for James. Party of 5." Haley said to the reception. The man flipped through the book.

"Yes, the other three have already arrived. The table is right there on the corner." He said pointing towards the back of the room.

"Great, even though we're 15 minutes early we're still late." Haley mumbled while starting her way towards the table.

"If your sister is such a classy person and all, then why would she wanna meet you here? 'Bubba-Gump Shrimp' doesn't exactly scream high class." Nathan said.

"It's Shawna's favorite place." Haley said. "She's my niece, Quinn's daughter, and even though she's only 2, she can be really stubborn. She always throws a tantrum if she can't eat here." Haley said.

Haley suddenly started to smile widely.

"Now, shut the hell up. She can almost hear us." She said through her teeth, the smile never leaving her face.

"Haley!"

"Quinn!"

Nathan watched as the two women hugged each other quickly. Haley then hugged the man next to Quinn before grabbing the two-year-old and hugging her fiercely.

"How's my 3rd niece doing? Did you miss your auntie-Haley?" she asked.

"Haywee!" the girl just yelled while grinning widely. Still holding Shawna on her arms, she turned to look at Quinn.

"Quinn and Alex, this is my friend Nathan. Nathan, this is my sister Quinn and her husband Alex." She said. Everyone exchanged hand shakes and nice to meet you's.

Haley and Nathan sat down opposite of Alex and Quinn. After ordering and getting their drinks, Quinn cleared her throat loudly. Haley quickly looked at Nathan with a 'here we go' –look.

"So, how did you two know each other again?" Quinn asked looking directly at Nathan.

Quinn was slowly scanning every bit of his body, trying to find something to comment on. Most men would be flattered when women checked them out so openly but never in Quinn's case. Her eyes weren't flirty or even friendly, they were cold and calculating. Her eyes stopped when they met Nathan's. She stared at him for the longest time as if trying to read his thoughts. She reminded Nathan of Meryl Streep's character in 'Devil Wears Prada'.

"Nathan is Lucas' half brother." Haley said.

"Oh, that's right, you're the mean Scott." Quinn said when she realized who Nathan was.

"Quinn. Don't start." Haley whispered looking at her directly while Alex just shook his head sadly. He had very quickly become used to Quinn's moods.

"What? It's the truth, right?" Quinn said faking innocence.

"Actually, usually people refer to me as the 'better looking Scott'. Or the 'sexier Scott'. You can take your pick." He said with a light smirk. He was not about let Haley's crazy sister ruin their night.

"Well, well." Quinn said taking a sip of her water class before twirling it between her fingers a few times.

"So, are you excited about starting school?" Alex asked taking advantage of the silence so he could change the subject.

"Yes!!" Haley said with a loud, excited voice startling everyone around the table. "I mean, yes." She said in a quieter voice. "They don't call me Tutor Girl for nothing." She said.

"Nerd." Nathan said under his breath and laughed when Haley elbowed him lightly with a laugh. Quinn looked at the interaction between the two, her other eye brow raised in interest.

"So, how did you two end up together on this trip?" Quinn asked looking at the two carefully. Her cold gaze had changed into a warmer one, but it was still just as calculating as before.

"Lucas and Brooke were supposed to tag along and we were supposed to drive two cars to LA while deliver three wedding dresses to Brooke's customers." Haley started.

"But both Brooke and Lucas had some lame excuse for not making it. So, they're sending the other car and flying to LA." Nathan continued.

"Which left Nathan, me, one car and three wedding dresses." Haley finished.

"Interesting..." Quinn said and started to grin suddenly. "Now, how long have you been dating?"

"What?" Nathan and Haley asked at the same time.

"We're not-"

"Not dating-" Haley finished.

"Oh, but you two seem so close." Quinn said. "And you're both very good looking people and would make a cute couple." She said in a surprisingly honest voice.

"Uh, thanks?" Haley said in confused voice. "But Nathan and I are just friends. Kinda like me and Lucas."

"Oh, Lucas is totally different from Nathan. Wanna hear why?" Quinn asked.

"Does it really matter what I say?" Haley asked smiling.

"For two reasons." Quinn said ignoring Haley.

"Here we go..." Haley muttered to Nathan.

"One: you don't find Lucas attractive-" Quinn started.

Nathan's head whipped to look at Haley with a 'you _so_ think I'm hot' –grin. Haley rolled her eyes at him but couldn't help the blush from forming on her cheeks. She coughed lightly and concentrated on Quinn again.

"-And two: Lucas is like family. I think you've seriously spent more time at his house than your own. Dating him would practically mean like dating your brother." She said and then continued confused. "Though, Nathan _is _Lucas' half brother, so that kinda messes up that theory."

"Quinn, take a breath." Haley said. "You're blabbering."

"Just telling you how I see it." She said smiling.

"We're not dating." Haley said and Nathan nodded his head in agreement. "Wanna hear two reasons why?" Haley asked mimicking Quinn's words from before.

"Sure." Quinn said smiling that her baby sister had finally grown a back bone.

"One: Nathan and I practically hate each other. Seriously. We argue, bicker and try to kill each other. We didn't even want to do this road trip but neither of us really had a choice. And two: I'm dating Chris Keller. And someone pretty smart once said that I'm not the cheating type." She said and gave Nathan a quick smile that definitely didn't go unnoticed by Quinn or Alex.

"Sure. I've got two more reasons." Quinn said not believing a word Haley had just said. "First of all, Chris Keller is a loser and doesn't deserve you." Quinn said and smiled when she heard Nathan make an agreeing 'mhhmm' sound under his breath.

"And second," she said continuing with a sing song. "It sure as hell doesn't seem like you two hate each other."

"Oh, we completely hate each other." Haley said and turned to look at Nathan. "Right Nathan?"

"Nothing but pure hatred here." He said motioning between himself and Haley while looking at the couple in front of them seriously. At least, as seriously as one who is joking can.

"Totally." Haley said in the same light tone.

"I disgust her." Nathan said pointing at Haley's direction.

"And he tried to kill me. _Literally_." She said pointing at him.

"Ok..." Quinn said and looked at Alex confused who just shrugged his shoulders. He had given up a long time ago to try to understand the James women.

Haley and Nathan burst out laughing at the confused looks on Quinn's and Alex's faces. Right on cue, the waitress came back with their food.

"Ok, so I guess that's my cue to drop the subject." Quinn said smiling.

"I'd appreciate it." Haley said smiling as she unfolded her napkin.

"Ok, whatever you say, Haley-bub." Quinn said with a wink.

Nathan quickly turned his laughter into a cough. He looked at Haley and mouthed 'Haley-bub?' as she just smacked him with her napkin, making Quinn even more convinced of their more-than-friends -status. Quinn rolled her eyes at the stupidity of the couple in front of her. How on earth could two people be so completely clueless?

"Bon Appetit, everyone." Quinn said while cutting up the shrimp pieces on Shawna's plate smaller who was looking at the food with a mixture of drool and excitement.

"Shwimp!"

* * *

"It was nice to meet you!" 

"Hales, call me. I've missed you."

"You too, sis. Love you."

"Bye."

Nathan and Haley slammed the back doors closed and waved goodbye to Quinn and Alex who had given them a ride back to their hotel.

"Hey, Hales." Quinn said opening her window. "Sorry if I was pushy, you know how I am."

"Yes, I do. Which is why I love you." Haley said giving her a wink.

"Sorry that we can't accommodate you two. Like I said earlier, both guestrooms are under reconstruction and the living room's a mess. Why do you think we want to eat out?"

"Hey, don't worry about it." Haley said. "Besides, it's not like we're paying for the hotel rooms. Brooke's customers have connections."

"It was good to see you, sister." she said grabbing Haley's hands and holding them in her hands.

"Wait, what's this?" Haley asked when she opened her palm and saw a bunch of 20-dollar-bills in it.

"I know money's short for you."

"Quinn-" Haley started and looked at Nathan quickly with an embarrassed look. She didn't exactly want Nathan to hear about her money issues.

"I mean, mom and dad are…" Quinn paused to think of the best word "…they're the way they are... You know what I mean. And since you're also a college freshman, I know you must have money issues. Everyone does. So, just take it and spend it on something nice, something that'll make you happy."

Haley looked at her sister with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you."

Quinn smiled back and pinched Haley's nose with a grin.

"You're welcome, honey." she whispered. Quinn turned to look at Alex who was driving. "Let's roll, baby."

After saying one final goodbye to Quinn and the family, Haley and Nathan went inside their hotel.

"So, what are you doing now? It's only 8 pm and didn't you say you had some friends from 'Flying High'-" Haley started as they made their way through the lobby.

"From 'High Flyers'."

"-from 'Mile High', that you wanted to meet?" Haley asked smiling as she they stepped in the elevator.

"Yeah, but I haven't heard from them so I'm not sure what's going-" he said but got cut off by his ringing cell phone. Haley rolled her eyes while grinning when she heard his ring tone. It was the 'Hey' –song by Gary Glitter.

"How very predictable, _jock_." she said as she heard the familiar song. "I thought they used that only for the football games."

"Zip it…" Nathan said as he hit answer. "Zach, what's up?... At the hotel, why?... I don't know, we just had dinner-… Yeah, she's here…" Nathan said on the phone and turned to look at Haley who looked back at him in confusion. Nathan suddenly looked at her from head to toe with a smirk.

"I don't know, like a skirt and a top." Nathan said on the phone.

Haley gasped in shock and smacked him in the back of his head when she realized he was describing what she was wearing to his friend.

"Ouch! Quit hitting me, woman!"

"Quit describing what I'm wearing to your pervert friend!"

"Gotta go Zach, or 'Perv' as your new nick name seems to be… Yeah, I'll ask her. Later, man." he said and flipped the phone shut.

"Nice friends you've got." Haley said just as the elevator doors opened. She stepped out on the hallway and started to walk towards her room.

"Oh, he was just joking. Few of the guys are at some hot shot, new, night club." Nathan said catching up to her.

"Sounds like fun." Haley said starting to dig her key card from her purse.

"It _is_ fun. Which is why they want you to come too."

"Why?" she asked and looked at him suspiciously in the midst of going through her purse.

"Why? Cause they wanna meet the person who annoys me more than anything. They say you've got quite the talent. And naturally they wanna learn from the best. Oh, and it's an open bar."

"I don't think I can stand you drunk again." Haley said looking at him with that half smirk of hers. "The last time you went clubbing which was three nights ago in New York, you almost tackled me when you stumbled back to our hotel room during the wee hours of the night."

"And you survived that just fine! Or need I show you my scars again? Oh and by the way, remote controls are _not _used for throwing at people." he said.

When Haley still looked hesitating Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Fine, be a bore. But I'm going out. You're the one who'll be missing out on all the fun." he said and started to open his door which was opposite of Haley's.

"Wait." Haley said and sighed as Nathan turned to look at her. "Fine, I'll come. Just don't be all jackass-y, wasted person tonight, ok?"

"Deal."

"Give me 15 minutes to change." Haley said and opened the door with the key card that she finally found.

"Need some help with that?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows.

"Just go watch some TV, perv." Haley said laughing.

"I was talking about the door, not you changing your clothes."

"Sure you were. See you in 15."

* * *

"Are you sure this is dressy enough?" Haley asked for the umpteenth time from Nathan as they walked towards the club. 

Haley looked down at the plain, black, halter neck top and smoothed the material nervously. Her eyes traveled down on the silver skirt Brooke had graciously given her after she had gotten back from her Rogue Vogue show case in NYC after muttering something about not wanting to wear it anymore. Completed with a pair of black, high heeled sandals and a silver purse, Haley was confident she looked hot. Or at least beautiful. Well, maybe more like nice. Ok. She looked ok in her eyes.

She narrowed her eyes again as she looked at the clothes.

"Nate, is this too plain?"

Nathan looked at Haley for the hundredth time, and sighed. Not because he minded looking at her because he certainly didn't, quite the opposite actually. He just couldn't realize why she felt the need to ask that all the time.

"Hales, you look hot. Stop asking me that." he said.

Haley looked at Nathan her mouth open in shock.

"You think I'm hot?"

"Oh, shut up." He said smiling.

She then broke into full singing mode.

"You wanna huug me, you wanna kiiss me, you wanna looove me…" she said singing and doing a stupid dance around Nathan.

"Shut up…" Nathan said laughing with her. "You look good, don't worry about nothing." Nathan said reassuringly.

"It's 'don't worry about anything'." Haley corrected him.

"Huh?"

"You can't have two negative words in one sentence because they cancel each other out."

"You're such a nerd." he said shaking his head laughing.

"It's the tutor in me. I can't help it. But thanks, you know, for saying that I look hot."

"Anytime." he said and gave her a wink.

"Wait, do you really mean that or do you just want me to shut the fuck up?"

"Both." he said with that smirk. "You do look hot and I do want to shut you up."

"Oh, _you_ shut up…" Haley said laughing.

"We're here." Nathan announced once they got to their destination.

Haley looked at the club that had a line so long that it disappeared behind the corner. Every woman on it seemed to be wearing very expensive and even more revealing outfits.

"Are you sure this is the one?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, come on. Zach said our names are on the list. You got your fake id with you, right?" he asked and put his hand on the small of her back to guide her towards the door.

"Yeah." Haley said trying to shake off the goose bumps she got when Nathan's hand touched her bare back.

"Good."

"Can I help you?" the 200-pound, mean looking bouncer asked while glancing to look at Nathan quickly while scanning the rest of the line of the people.

"Our names are on the list, H. James and N. Scott." Nathan said almost cockily. It was no secret that he enjoyed moments like these.

The bouncer took a paper from his pocket in a frustrated manner. To him, Nathan was just another annoying punk claiming that their name was on the list or that they knew the owner. His eyes grew wider when he found their names from the extremely short list. He turned to look at Nathan and Haley again.

"Can I see some id's?"

Both Nathan and Haley dug out their fake id's and showed them to the bouncer. Making sure the names were correct and that they were old enough, he gave them the purple colored wristbands that said VIP21.

"As long as you have these, you can access the VIP area which is in the second floor and the bars there. Enjoy your night."

"Thank you." Haley said politely which made the bouncer smile a bit. It was obvious Haley wasn't a local.

She ran up to Nathan who had gone in before her. Together they made their way through the crowd all the way to the VIP entrance. They showed their wristbands to the VIP bouncer and with the jealous looks of the people close to them, they ascended the spiral stair case.

"Oh. My. God." Haley said gasping for air once they got to the top.

"This is so cool." Nathan muttered.

The VIP area was absolutely gorgeous, far better than they could've ever imagined. The theme was paradise and the room had everything from real palm trees to huge fish tanks filled with exotic fishes. The staff was also dressed according to the theme. All the women had matching bikini tops, small pair of shorts and flip flops as the shirtless guys wore surfer shorts. Needless to say, everyone on the staff had a gorgeous body.

"Yo, Nate dawg!" a yell came from somewhere from the back.

"Just wait here for a second." Nathan said looking through the crowd trying to find his friends.

"Trying to get rid of me this fast? Jeez, and you were the one who talked me into coming here." Haley said grinning.

"Just wait here for a sec. I'm gonna get us drinks…" Nathan said and then added. "…and make sure the guys are fully clothed and on their best behavior. Be right back." he said leaving Haley by herself.

She wandered around and ended up on the side of the VIP area where you could see the rest of the club, the non-VIP area. She leaned on the railing and looked down at the dance floor that was full of people. She got instantly hypnotized by the blinking neon lights and the loud bass of some random electronic song. It made it look like everyone was dancing in slow motion, their glistering, sweaty bodies grinding to the beat.

She got snapped out of her daze when Nathan appeared behind her.

"I hope you like Cosmopolitans." He said handing the drink to her.

"Of course, who doesn't?" She said and took a sip while staring at the dance floor again.

Nathan leaned on the railing, trapping Haley between his hands. He leaned even closer so his mouth was right next to her ear as her back was pressed against his chest.

"Are you ready for a wild night, Tutor Girl?" he whispered.

She sucked in her breath and got immediate goose bumps when she felt Nathan's breath on her neck.

"Yeah..." she said and cleared her throat a bit. "Why does that sound scary?" she asked joking.

"Come on, the guys are dying to meet you." He said and started to guide her towards the back of the room.

"Why? They don't even know me..." Haley said.

"Apparently they've talked to Josh and Tom and those guys from New York so..."

"Great." Haley said not knowing whether to be excited or scared.

"It'll be fine. They promised to be on their best behavior, so don't wor-" Nathan got cut off by a bunch of cat calls and whistles.

Nathan and Haley looked at a group of drunk, load guys who were by the back of the room where they were heading. Few of them were standing on the table, few were on their knees bowing and the rest were just making as much noise as possible. And the whole group, along with the rest of the people in the VIP area who were wondering what the hell was going on, was looking at Haley.

Haley and Nathan stood there looking at the group their mouths open.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Come on, they're just playing around." He said and pushing the resistant Haley towards the group.

"Guys, guys, settle down or you're gonna scare her away." Nathan laughed once they were within hear shot of the group. "Guys, this is Haley. Haley, the guys."

"Hey." She said and gave them a small wave.

"Sup?" the whole group said at the same time.

"Sorry about the little show there. Nathan told us to behave so we decided to do the exact opposite." One of the guys said.

"Great." Haley said smiling weakly.

"So, you're the girl that has the ability to piss off Nathan better than anyone, huh?" One of the guys asked as Nathan sat down on a coach.

"Well, it's more like a mutual talent we both seem to have." She said took the seat next to Nathan.

"Interesting..." one of the guys said. "So, what's this road trip you two are on?"

"Nathan's half brother who's also my best friend was supposed to come with us, along with his girlfriend, Brooke, who's also my ex-roommate and whose best friend used to date Nathan back in the days but both Lucas and Brooke had some lame ass excuse for not making it so Nathan and I were pretty much forced to deliver Brooke's wedding dresses which she had made and sold, she owns a clothing business you see, but since she couldn't make it and I didn't have the money to fly and Nathan wanted to see his buddies and drive his car, that resulted in me and Nathan on this road trip." Haley said and took a deep breath after finishing the sentence.

"Wait _what_?" One of the guys asked confused.

"You got me lost somewhere after you said Lucas is his brother or his roommate or something."

"It doesn't really matter." Haley said. "The main point is that we're here, alive, enjoying ourselves in this sweet ass club!"

"Cheers!" everyone yelled.

Right on cue, a fast paced, very dancer-friendly r'n'b song started to blast from the speakers.

"That's it, we're so going there." One of the guys said as he saw a bunch of drunken girls shaking their _tatas_ on the dance floor. Haley stood up to let the guys out and turned to look at Nathan.

"You coming?" she asked. "Come on, it's a good song and I haven't danced in ages." She said.

"What do you need me for?"

"Well, I don't wanna be the only one looking ridiculous there. Besides, you don't wanna sit here all alone. That's pathetic." She said and smiled as Nathan got up.

"Fine." He said. "I guess I can be seen with you." He said and laughed when Haley bumped her shoulder against his.

"Great."

"Come on, let's go show them how it's _really_ done." Nathan said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Haley looked at him with a wide grin before nudging a bit closer in his arms.

_We danced and drank the whole night and I've gotta give Nathan some credit, the boy sure knows how to party. And he definitely wasn't lying earlier when he promised he'd show me a good time._

_I know what you're thinking, you kinky little bastard! You want to know about the three random guys and the boxer-clad Nathan in my hotel room, right? Well, here's the story. _

_You know how I just said that Nathan knows how to party? Well, he also knows how to drink and he especially knows hot to not stop drinking on time. See, somewhere after his third tequila and like 10th beer, he was wasted. And I don't mean the "oh-I'm-so-wasted-that-I'm-talking-loud-and-whooping-all-the-time". No. That's not drunk, that's tipsy._

_I'm talking about the "I'm-so-wasted-that-I-can't-stand-still-or-better-yet-I-can't-even-stand-at-all-period-and-oh-boy-I-think-I-just-lost-the-feel-of-  
my-head-oh-no-wait-that's-just-me-being-unconscious."_

_Seriously, he was so drunk that by the end of the night he couldn't even spell his own name._

"_N... A... H, no wait, T... A... and... H... H... H as in yoooou're hhhot." _

_I think he tried to say that to me, I'm not sure because he kept calling me 'Hhalez'. Poor boy, so out of it. By the time they were closing the club, only Nathan, I and three of his buddies were left. And since Nathan was so fucking out of it, Jerry, Marc and Tommy helped me to take Nathan back to our hotel. _

_We dumped Nathan on my bed and made fun of him when he automatically stripped down to his boxers before completely passing out. The guys and I played some poker until seven am and I naturally beat them all. Thanks to Uncle Vinnie for teaching the sweet game to me. _

_After breakfast, I came back to the hotel and delivered the second wedding dress to a very bitchy customer. Remember how I wrote "it almost makes me think true love doesn't exist" after the first dress giveaway in NYC? Well, after the second one I can definitely take the "almost" out of the sentence. She was so annoying! If the first customer was a drug addict/model and didn't give a shit about anything, you can add bitchy and stupid to that list and you'll have the second customer... So rude!_

_So, after the bitchy customer, I came back to the hotel and here I am now._

_Disappointed? I know you were expecting some kinky story why Nathan's practically naked. Sorry, you little perv, but nothing happened. I'm dating Chris Keller. But lately, for some reason though, I have to keep reminding myself of that. Weird, huh._

_Anyways, it's almost 10.30 am and I haven't slept a minute yet. Nathan's hogging most of the bed so I guess I'll have to resort to elbow tactics to get some room. _

_Oh, and he's only wearing boxers, did I mention that?_

_Good night..._

* * *

So, there you go. Any thoughts? What was good? Bad? What would you change? 

-Fes-


	7. Iowa, We So Corny

Hey, everyone. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they mean the world to me. Please keep them coming. :) Hope you enjoy chapter 7.

* * *

Quote of the day: Scrubs. 

"You look unhappy… I like that."

-Janitor to JD

* * *

**Chapter 7. Iowa, We So Corny.**

Day 5, Chicago

"Nathan... Wake up..."

"Not yet, mom..."

"Wake up, Nate."

"Don't sit on my head, Tim..."

"Uh, Nate? Wake up..." Haley laughed and started to shake Nathan lightly.

After few more tries, he finally opened his eyes and for few seconds just stared at her with a small smile. He then looked around and finally sat up. The sudden movement made his head pound and he held his forehead, groaning in pain.

"You ok?" Haley asked and handed him a glass of water and an Advil.

"Yeah..." he said and swallowed the pill gladly. He then fell back on the pillow again and closed his eyes.

A second later he then opened them abruptly and looked around in total suspicion and confusion.

"This isn't my hotel room."

"Nice observation, Sherlock. I swear, Veronica Mars could use your talent." Haley said sarcastically.

"Why am I sleeping in your bed..." Nathan said and lifted the blanket so he could see under it. "...wearing nothing but my boxers?"

Nathan looked at the bed and noticed that the other blanket had also been used, as was the pillow that was on the floor. He opened his mouth in shock when he saw Haley's shorts and tank top on the floor next to him.

"Oh my god, did we...?" He asked motioning between himself and Haley while she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Did we what?" Haley asked.

"Did we... you know, _sleep together_?" he asked whispering the last words.

"Yes." Haley said.

"Oh god." Nathan said rubbing his head. "Look, about last night... I'm sorry about it. I know you must think it's a huge mistake and all-"

"No, not really." Haley said. "I mean, I was definitely in the need of it."

"What? _Sex_?" Nathan asked confused.

"No. Sleep, you stupid." Haley said laughing.

"What?" he asked confused.

"Nathan, we _slept together_. As in the actual meaning of sleeping in the same bed."

"Oh." He said relieved but also for some reason a bit disappointed.

"Why, what did you think I meant by sleeping together?" She asked with a grin even though she knew the answer.

"Nothing. That's exactly what I meant." Nathan said quickly.

"For a total player and a sex-a-holic womanizer, you're pretty shy when it comes to the actual stuff." Haley said with a smirk.

"So, how _did_ I end up half naked in your bed?"

"You managed to lose your room key so the guys just left you in my room." Haley said.

"Oh yeah... Marc, Jerry and Tommy brought us here." Nathan said when it all started to come back to him.

"That's right."

"We had to wait for the elevator downstairs forever!"

"No, Nathan. _You_ had to wait for it forever." Haley said. "You disappeared in the lobby when we tried to explain to the receptionist that you actually stayed here. Five minutes later we found you standing in front of a cleaning closet thinking it was the elevator."

"Oh no..." he groaned in embarrassment.

"And you were yelling at it."

"Oh no..."

"You scared the crap out of some Chinese tourists, by the way."

"Welcome to America." He muttered.

"...is exactly what you told them last night too." She finished laughing.

"Great... That doesn't explain why I'm only wearing boxers."

"Oh yeah, it was quite the funny thing, actually." Haley said. "And by funny I mean hilarious for me and totally embarrassing for you."

"Great."

"Once we dumped you on the bed, you closed your eyes, took your shirt and your jeans off, tugged yourself in and passed out. All this without saying a word or even keeping your eyes open."

"Oh man, I'm sorry you had to see that." Nathan said.

"Don't worry about it." Haley said. "The guys stayed and kept me company. We played Texas Hold 'Em until seven am and we went out to eat breakfast after that. Oh, and I won 100 bucks, by the way."

"Good job... Wait, seven _am_? What time is it now?"

"It's 1.30 pm."

"What? What about Brooke's dress? It was due at 10!"

"Already took care of that." Haley said.

"You did? Thanks..." he said.

"No problem. Though the customer was such a bitch that you seriously owe me. I'm starting to think Brooke's wedding dresses are cursed." Haley said with a huff.

"Sorry about that."

"No worries." Haley said and sighed. "The maid's been bugging me for the past two hours. So, take a shower and get your ass downstairs. We need to leave."

"Ok..." he said finally getting up from the bed. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Yeah, maybe for like two hours but the maid kept bugging me..." Haley said annoyed. "And you snore loud!"

"Sorry... You can sleep in the car, I'll drive."

"Ok, it's a deal." Haley said and looked at the door furiously when there was a loud knock. "ONE MINUTE!" she yelled and turned to look at Nathan. "God, I hate her." She said and grabbed Nathan's car keys from the desk. "Hurry up, I'll wait in the car."

* * *

"Are you sure you're not too hung over to drive?" Haley asked once they were back on the road. 

"I think the 9-hour-sleep pretty much cleared my head." Nathan said "So, destination: Iowa City, right? To meet your twin brothers?"

"Yeah, if it's alright with you."

"Yeah, of course. It's right on our way and free accommodation is always good."

"Oh man, I can't wait to meet them." Haley said in an excited voice while clapping her hands together. "They promised to show us around. They go to University of Iowa and love it. Every time I see them they can't shut up about it."

"Nerds like you, huh?"

Haley turned to look at Nathan amused.

"You _really_ haven't heard of my brothers, have you? You of all the people..."

"No, why would I?"

"No reason..." she singsonged mysteriously.

"Which exit do we take? Which interstate do we get on again?" Nathan asked looking at the road signs in confusion.

Haley was about to check from the Mapquest instructions but turned to look at Nathan her other eye brow raised expectantly.

"Which interstate?" Haley asked like it was the stupidest question she had ever heard. "What do you think?" she asked sarcastically.

They both looked at each other smiling.

"Interstate 80." They said at the same time.

"God! How long have we been driving on it?!" Nathan asked.

"I think since Pennsylvania... And we won't leave it for a while. So get used to the I-80 signs." Haley said and adjusted the back of her seat so it was on horizontal level.

"You trying to get some sleep?" Nathan asked turning the radio off.

"Yeah, but you can still listen to the radio if you want." Haley said reaching for a pillow and tucking it under her head.

"Naw, I don't mind. Besides, you deserve all the sleep you can get after witnessing my drunken behavior last night."

"Hey, it was my pleasure. I'll be reminding you of that for the rest of your life, though."

"How the hell could even stay up so late? You must have a pretty good tolerance for alcohol."

"Pretty normal actually... The reason why I didn't pass out like you did is that I only had few drinks and a shot. Instead of like 10 beers, 3 tequilas and an appletini, like you did."

"An apple-_what_?"

"Appletini. Very girly of you, Nathan."

"Great. Now, go to sleep." he said and gave her a grin.

"Ay, ay." Haley said saluting him. She closed her eyes with a yawn and let the exhaustion take over.

Nathan looked at her few minutes later and smiled when he saw her sleeping peacefully. Her mouth was slightly open and he could hear her breathing heavily. She slightly scrunched her itching nose in her sleep when her hair fell on her face.

Right there, right then Nathan decided that it was officially the cutest thing he had ever seen.

_Hiya, diary._

_So, I woke up to the sound of my cell phone. It was Chris. And before you even ask what I know you're wondering, the answer is no. Not my boyfriend Chris Keller because hell would freeze over before that would happen. I meant my brother Chris. _

_After he woke me up from my much deserved nap, he had the nerve to make fun of my deep, groggy, sleepy voice. Ass! _

_In a totally sweet, friendly and non-hostile voice I reminded him that I have pictures of him dressed as a girl when he was a kid and that I wouldn't feel bad about 'accidentally' e-mailing them to his frat brothers. They do have that Wall of Shame for a reason. Being the good brother that he is, he apologized immediately._

_Anyways, we're almost in Iowa City and I can't wait for it! I haven't seen the twins in months! They stayed the whole summer working in IC so I didn't even see them during the summer break._

_Tonight's gonna be a blast!_

* * *

"Take a right here and then a left. It's the second Greek house on the right." Haley instructed Nathan. 

"Nice cars..." Nathan commented the cars on the driveway when he parked on the street by the house.

"Yeah, the red truck is Brian's and the blue SUV is Chris'." Haley said as they hopped off the car.

"Didn't know nerds had such a good taste." Nathan mumbled as they walked up to the front door.

"Shut up or they'll crush you." Haley whispered as she knocked on the door.

"Huh?" he asked confused but didn't get to ask more because the door suddenly flew open.

Nathan stared in shock at the two, huge, identical, 6'4'' guys who were standing by the door. Both were wearing basketball shorts and the other had an 'Iowa Basketball' T-shirt and the other a similar, baggy wife beater.

"Baby James!" they both yelled happily at the same time and grabbed Haley into a monster bear hug.

"Chrissy! Breanna!" she said and laughed when they both let go of her and looked around and behind them to see if anyone heard.

"Hales! What did we decide on using those nick names in public?" Chris asked.

"Oh, probably the same that we decided on calling me Baby-James." Haley said.

"Fine. It's very nice to see you, _Haley_." Brian said in a formal voice.

"You too, Brian." She said with a smile. "And before you say anything, it's good to see you too, Chris." Haley said smiling at the twins who were looking behind her where Nathan was standing.

"Anyways, guys. This is my friend Nathan. Nathan, meet the twins. Brian and Chris." Haley said motioning between the guys.

"Hey, nice to meet you. Sorry, if I can't recognize you right away from the other." Nathan said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, man. We're used to it. Just remember that Chris is the better looking. That's me, by the way." Chris said with a grin as they all walked in the house.

"Very funny." Brian said. "Just remember that Brian has more ladies."

"Or you can just call them both 'Cryan'. It's a very good nick name, actually. See, it's a mix of their names but it's also a reflection on their emotional side." Haley said. "I came up with it, by the way." She added proudly.

"You're so sleeping in Troy's room tonight." Brian said referring to their very messy and smelly frat brother.

"The hell I am." Haley said as they reached the kitchen.

Haley looked at two tall, black guys who were sitting by the table playing poker.

"What's up, Darrell? Cisco?" Haley asked while opening the fridge and looking at Chris and Brian's shelves.

"Hi Haley." The guys said without taking their eyes off of the cards on their hands.

"Seriously. When was the last time you went grocery shopping?" Haley asked from the twins disgusted as she closed the door and threw a Pepsi can to Nathan who caught it easily. "You only have vodka and soda there."

"It's not soda, it's 'pop'. We're in Midwest, gorgeous." A random guy who came into the kitchen said.

"Hi, Will." Haley said with a smile and gave the guy a kiss on the cheek.

"What's up, beautiful." Will asked with a smile and noticed Nathan giving him a dirty look.

"Will, Darrell, Cisco. This is Nathan. Nathan, these are Brian and Chris' frat brothers. Nathan and I are staying here till tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"Welcome."

"Ok."

"Whatever."

"Uhhuh."

Nathan looked at the five guys who couldn't care less whether he was in the room or not. Haley gave him a reassuring smile before speaking again.

"Nathan plays basketball."

Suddenly all the guys turned to look at him interested.

"Really?"

"What's your average?"

"What position?"

"High school or college?"

"I just finished high school but I'm going to play college ball." Nathan said.

"Was your team any good?" Darrell asked.

"They won state." Haley said nonchalantly and the guys whistled in appreciation.

"We had a good team." Nathan said.

"Oh, he's being humble." Haley said. "He averaged 26 points, was the co-captain and the MVP." Haley said with a smile.

"Oh really?" Darrell asked and pointed at their back yard where there was a full size basketball court. "Wanna play?"

* * *

_If you like my body,_

_And you think I'm se-_

"Hey, Brooke!" Haley answered her cell phone happily. "So, how was the fashion show that was so important that you had to ditch the road trip and leave me alone with Nathan?"

"It was good. I didn't win but I made lots of connections. Stella McCartney's rep said that she loved my second outfit and Donna Karan said that I should not give up hope. She said that I'm still a rookie but that I have lots of potential." Brooke said excited.

"Brooke, that's amazing! Networking is the key these days. So, take Donna's advise and keep the dream alive."

"You betcha! So, are you in Iowa City?"

"Yeah, we just got here." Haley said holding the phone between her ear and shoulder as she tied up the strings of her bikini.

"So, whatcha doing?"

"I'm putting on a bikini right now. It's gorgeous outside, you'd love it."

"Which bikini? The red dotted from Aeropostale or the green, striped from H&M?"

"The red."

"Nice. So, what's Nathan doing?"

"What do you think? As soon as he heard the frat guys are all basketball players, they've been playing in the backyard." Haley said looking out the second door window at the basketball court where six guys were playing basketball... shirtless.

Haley's eyes traveled to Nathan's body and without realizing, she licked her lips automatically. She smiled a little when Nathan did some sort of happy dance after an awesome shot. His entire body was glistering with sweat and Haley suddenly got a vivid fantasy of her own naked, sweaty body under his muscular one.

"Great. How very interesting for you." Brooke said in a monotone voice.

"Uhhuh... Oh, boy." she said still looking at Nathan.

"Haley?" Brooke asked after a short silence.

Haley blinked and snapped out of her fantasy. She coughed lightly to get a hold of herself and then grinned widely.

"I'm gonna steal one of those folding chairs, get a good spot far enough from the players that they can't sweat all over me but close enough that I can still marvel their six-packs." Haley said and smiled when Brooke burst out laughing on the other end.

"You've been hanging out with me way too much."

"Yeah, I know. Scary, huh?" Haley said with a grin. "So, how's LA so far?"

"It's ok. I saw Lindsay Lohan at 'Area' last night. My roommate knows someone who knows like every bouncer in the city. So, get your butt to Cali so we can party!"

"Roger that." Haley said with a laugh.

"So, how was the second dress giveaway?" Brooke asked.

Haley bit her lip wondering whether she should tell the truth of how big of a bitch the woman had been.

"It was ok." Haley said trying to sound as convincing as possible. "Listen, I gotta go. But tell Lucas I said hi, ok. Talk to you later, girl. Bye." Haley said and hung up the phone before Brooke could ask more about the dress giveaway.

Haley wrapped a towel around her bikini-clad body and grabbed her iPod, cell phone, sunglasses and a water bottle. She was about to leave the room when she stopped to look at herself in the mirror. She quickly brushed her hair and added lip gloss before leaving the room with a grin.

* * *

"... and another three-pointer by the better James!" Chris said when his shot went through the net. 

"Better? Lemme remind who's always been the faster one, dear brother!" Brian said irritated.

"Oh, gimme a break, Bry!" Chris said grabbing the ball.

"I've been faster ever since we were born. 3 minutes, baby! It's been like that forever. Me first, you second."

"Then how come I've been named MVP more times than you have?"

"That's because I tore my ACL junior year!"

"So, how come I was MVP our sophomore year then?"

"Do they always fight this much?" Nathan asked from Darrell when the twins continued their argument.

"Oh, this is nothing. Every time they play against each other, it always ends up in a fight." Cisco said.

"Then why don't you have them on the same team?" Nathan asked confused.

"Because they're unbeatable together." Will said joining in on the conversation.

"They can practically read each other's minds. It's really freaky." Darrell said shuddering.

"Yeah, it's like they share a brain or something." Cisco said shaking his head before turning to look at the twins. "Yo, James's! Let's continue."

They continued the game with Brian, Darrell and Nathan on the other side and Chris, Cisco and Will on the other.

Nathan played surprisingly well against the college juniors and seniors. What he lacked in experience he mastered in talent.

Nathan caught the ball easily and was about to do some cool looking, difficult, jump-thingy but in the middle of it his eyes caught something by the back door of the frat house. He turned to look at it again.

Without realizing, he let the ball drop from his hands.

"Oh, my god." He said slowly as the rest of the group turned to look at the same direction also.

Haley had just closed the kitchen door that led to the back yard and spread her towel on the sun chair when she heard the guys starting to whistle. She turned to look at them and had to suppress her smile when they were all catcalling and whistling at her. She even managed to hide her blush when she saw Nathan's lust-filled eyes that had turned a shade darker, roaming every inch of her body.

She wasn't stupid; she knew she didn't have a six-pack or even a Rachel Gattina body but she was pretty confident that she didn't disgust anyone either. She waved at the guys before sitting on the chair and putting a pair of big sunglasses on. She lied down on the chair and closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the sun relax her entire body.

She opened her eyes when a shadow fell on her. She pushed the sunglasses on top of forehead so she could glare at the person who dared to disturb her sunbathing.

"What?" she asked irritated when she saw both Chris and Bryan standing in front of her their hands crossed over their chests.

"What the hell is this?" Chris asked glaring back at her.

"What? I'm trying to sunbathe, you retards." Haley said annoyed.

"No, we're talking about the outfit." Brian said.

"Oh, you mean the two-piece swimming suit? It's called a bikini, you morons!"

"We know what it is! What the hell is it doing on you?" Chris asked.

"Um... so, you mean that the fact that I'm trying to get a tan isn't enough?" Haley asked sarcastically.

"No, it's way too revealing. Go put some t-shirt and pair of shorts-" Chris said but Bryan elbowed him. "I mean, a pair of jeans on."

"Why don't I just grab one of your huge sweat shirts while at it. And maybe a pair of sweat pants too, to make sure that the only piece of skin you can see is my fingers and face?" She said sarcastically.

"Sounds good." Chris said seriously.

"Yeah, I approve." Brian said in the same voice.

Haley glared at them before huffing annoyed and covering her eyes with her sunglasses signaling that the discussion was over.

"Haley, listen-" Chris started.

Haley huffed annoyed and pushed the sunglasses back on her forehead before getting up from the chair so she was standing in front of the twins.

"No, you listen to me!" she snapped. "I understand why you want to protect me, I do. I appreciate it and I love you both for it. But you have to realize that I'm not a kid anymore. I'm not even in high school anymore. I've grown and so should you." Haley said. "And believe it or not, but I can take care of myself."

"But-" Brian tried but Haley cut him off.

"No buts. Now I'm gonna get a soda from the kitchen and when I come back you both better be back on the court playing and not complaining here, or so help me god!" she said and turned on her heels to go back inside.

The twins looked at each other and nodded. They both knew they really didn't have a choice. They turned to go back on the court when they saw the rest of the group staring at them, and Haley's retreating body.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Chris snapped.

"Get back on the court!" Brian said irritated.

"Wanna close that mouth of yours before I close it with my fist?" Chris growled at Nathan's direction who was still drooling after Haley while waiting for her to come back.

"Yeah, eyes on the ball everyone! Whoever even _glances_ her way gets their ass kicked! Now, chop chop!" Brian said clapping his hands furiously.

Haley emerged from kitchen carrying a soda with a smile. She hadn't necessarily heard the twins' talk to the guys but she could pretty much guess how it went. She sat down on the chair and looked at the guys' direction. All the guys' eyes were strictly on the game, except for Nathan's. Nathan gave her a quick nod before turning back on the game. Still smiling, Haley leaned back on the chair to enjoy the sun.

Yes, life was good for Haley and Nathan and they both were enjoying every single minute of it.

And so they should, because dark clouds were about to shadow that happiness...

* * *

So, there you go. Thoughts, anyone:) 

-Fes


	8. Quite Frankly, My Dear

Quote of the day, Veronica Mars:

Keith (handing Veronica an envelope as a graduation gift): "For you, on this momentous occasion."

Veronica (shaking and smelling the envelope in excitement): "A pony?!"

* * *

AN: I'm SO sorry for the delay. Instead of boring you with excuses of my boring life, I'm just gonna move on with the story. :) I hope you enjoy chapter 8 and hopefully the lenght of the chapter compensates on the delay. Sorry again!

* * *

Chapter 8. Quite Frankly, My Dear...

"WHAT COMES BEFORE PART B?!"

"PART-_AY_!"

Nathan laughed at the twins as they yelled over the loud music and jumped up to bump their chests together before slamming two shots of vodka down their throats.

Haley and Nathan were still in Iowa City visiting Haley's twin brothers Brian and Chris who went to University of Iowa there. Earlier that day Nathan had played basketball with the twins and their frat brothers as Haley had soaked up the sun on a nearby sun chair. The image of Haley wearing her hot, red bikini was still printed very clearly in his mind.

After threatening Nathan with bodily harm if he stared at their baby sister's body any more, the twins had taken Nathan and Haley out to eat before they had showed the basketball arena to a very excited Nathan and a bored Haley. They were now back at the frat house and like the twins had promised, it was time to party.

Nathan swallowed the green jell-o shot and grimaced when he could taste the vodka through the lime.

"Jesus, how much vodka did you mix? You know, it's supposed to be 50/50 with water."

"What water?" Darrell asked while filling his plastic cup with beer.

"Figures..." Nathan said laughing.

Nathan's smile quickly faded when he saw Will, one of the frat brothers and basketball players, joining their group. Nathan didn't know why he didn't like Will. Will had been nothing but friendly and helpful towards Nathan and Haley. _Especially_ Haley. The entire day she had been hanging out with Will, laughing with him and practically flirting. And for some reason, Nathan couldn't stand it.

"Where's Haley?" Chris asked from Will.

"She completely ditched hanging out with me." Will said dramatically. "She's talking to some Lucas guy on the phone. I did tell her to get her gorgeous butt here ASAP and party with the rest of us."

At the mention of Haley's butt Nathan immediately looked at Chris and Brian, expecting them to kill Will or strangle him a bit. Or at least glare at him menacingly like they had glared at Nathan the entire day every time he had talked/touched/looked at Haley.

But Nathan seemed to be out of luck because the twins merely nodded their heads in agreement with Will.

"So, what was taking you two so long? I mean, you must've hung out in Haley's bedroom for at least half an hour." Nathan asked trying to mask the jealousy in his voice but failed miserably. His question came out sounding more like an accusation.

Will did his best to keep from laughing as the twins looked at Nathan from head to toe, trying to figure out what his deal with their baby sister was.

"Oh, we were just trying to figure out what she should wear. I told her to go with something nice but she insisted on something comfortable and normal." Will said and then added with a smirk. "She must've tried at least 10 different outfits."

Will almost burst out laughing when Nathan's jealous face turned into an angry one. Nathan bid his tongue to keep himself from lashing out on the guy in front of him. He looked at Brian and Chris to see if they were planning on doing anything to Will, but he was out of luck again.

"Great." Nathan managed to say through his gritted teeth. He quickly poured himself a shot of vodka and drank it. Starting to feel the rush of alcohol in his blood, he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

Right that moment Haley descended the stairs. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a green, loose hanging, halter neck top. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she had a pair of flip flops on. All in all, it was a very normal outfit, nothing too fancy or over the top but in Nathan's eyes she might've just as well be on the catwalk wearing the newest Gucci.

He snapped out of his Haley-daze, as he had started to call it, when Will whistled at Haley. Nathan turned to look at him with a glare. Haley, who was still on the phone with Lucas, waved at Will when she heard the whistle which made Nathan even more jealous. Will saw some familiar people by the door and got up to leave. He looked at Nathan who was still glaring at him and stopped when he was right next to him.

"Relax, Nathan. I'm not trying to steal your girl." He whispered and patted Nathan on the shoulder before leaving.

"Yeah, right." Nathan muttered to himself.

"Who are you talking to?" Haley asked coming from behind him and sitting next to him.

"No one." He said. "You want a drink?" he asked changing the subject.

"Yeah, sure." She said.

"You were talking with Lucas?" Nathan asked as he started to make Haley's drink.

"Yeah, he's bored." Haley said with a laugh. "He told me he has packed everything even though he won't leave Tree Hill for another week. He has also rearranged his room, cleaned the gutters and vacuumed the house at least twice in the past week."

"Pathetic." Nathan said smiling.

"That's what I said."

"He should've just left with us." Nathan said.

"And the heart doctor/specialist?"

"Like they don't have any in California. He just didn't want to leave because Brooke couldn't."

"That boy is so whipped... Oh, your heart's fine, right?" Haley asked concerned.

"You worried?" Nathan asked smiling as he mixed different liquids in the shaker.

"Of course! I don't want you having a heart attack when you're driving and I'm in the car. But feel free to suffer whenever else." Haley said smiling.

"Hey! Careful or I'll 'accidentally' poison your drink." He said smirking and handed her the drink.

"What is this?" she asked and sniffed it.

"Something that's not poisonous." He said with a smirk.

"Nice." Haley said taking a sip as she heard the back door slam shut behind them.

Haley looked over Nathan's shoulder at the back door where some random college girl was standing. She was wearing an extremely short jean skirt and a tube top that exposed more than it covered. And she was looking at Nathan with a sexy smirk. Haley's eyes immediately narrowed.

"Care to make me one too?" she asked from Nathan when he also turned to look at her.

"Uh, sure." Nathan said pouring the rest of the liquid from the shaker into another glass and handing it to her.

The girl took it, tasted it and licked her lips slowly.

"Sweet... Kinda like me." She said and winked at him, completely ignoring Haley.

"And it's free, so cheap like you." Haley muttered under her breath.

"I'm Jess. Let me know if you wanna dance...or something." Jess said and fortunately for Haley, started to leave the room. When she was walking past Nathan she made sure the entire front of her body grinded his.

"Later, sexy." She whispered to him.

Nathan looked at her walk away, wondering what the hell just happened. He then turned to look at Haley who was still staring at the door with a glare.

"Whorish, much?" she said annoyed and took a sip from her drink.

"I don't know, she was kinda hot."

"Sure." Haley said. "If by hot you mean slutty." She said.

"Hey, be nice. We don't even know her."

"And yet we've already seen her practically naked." Haley said referring to Jess' clothing, or the lack thereof. "Seriously, Nathan. You could do so much better."

"Oh yeah? Like who?"

They both stared at each other, neither saying anything. Haley blinked after few seconds and took another sip from her drink uncomfortably.

"So..." they both started at the same to break the silence.

"You go first." Haley said smiling.

"I was just about to say that it's day 5." Nathan said.

"Huh?"

"Day 5 of our 10-day-road trip. Which means we're halfway through. And we're both still alive."

"Barely." she added with a laugh.

"We need to celebrate this." Nathan said and took two shot glasses and filled them with tequila.

"I don't normally drink any of the heavy stuff but this time I actually think that our accomplishment is worth it. Who knew we'd make it this far?" Haley asked and raised her shot glass in the air. "A toast. To day 5." She said and smiled when Nathan raised his own as well.

"Halfway through, baby." He said and clinked the shot glass against Haley's. At the same time, they drank their shots. And at the same time they cringed and groaned when the pure alcohol hit their veins.

"Oh my god..." Haley said when her throat burned. "Whooo!"

"Alright!" Nathan said laughing. His smile quickly faded when he heard some loud voices approaching them.

"Iowa! Iowa!"

"Iowa State sucks!"

"Hawkeyes rule!"

Nathan looked over his shoulder and saw the twins heading their way. He quickly took the shot glass from Haley's hands and hid it behind the coffee maker that was on the counter.

"Hey guys!" he said to the twins.

"Hey there..." Chris said.

"What's up?" Haley asked taking a sip from her drink.

"Nothing... So, whatcha drinking?" Brian asked trying to sound nonchalant.

"Bry, don't start. I'm at a college party where I'm gonna have fun. If that includes a bit of alcohol then so be it."

"Ok, ok... As long as you don't do anything stupid." Chris said caving in.

"Like what? Strip down naked and dance on a table?" Haley asked and the looked at the twins with a sweet smile as Nathan started to grin madly, obviously picturing it in his head. "Oh wait, that was you two!"

"What?" Nathan asked laughing.

"We were wearing underwear!" Chris defended.

"It was a bananahammock!" Haley said.

"I thought we decided not to discuss that particular night." Bryan said looking around suspiciously to make sure no one had heard.

"Wait, what happened?" Nathan asked grinning.

"One of their frat brothers got married last year and the bride's maid-of-honor wanted the traditional male stripper for the bachelorette party. And since the bride was expecting twins, the maid-of-honor thought it would be funny to have a set of identical twins as strippers. Hence the thong-clad table dance."

"The visual image..." Nathan said and groaned in disgust.

"Hey, we were good." Chris said.

"Yeah, in addition to the 100 bucks we both got, we had over 250 bucks worth of tips. Pretty good for one hour."

"Eew..." Haley said scrunching her nose in disgust. "The point was that I don't think that you have to worry about me acting stupid. Believe me, you two have taught me well." Haley said.

"She did have a 4.0." Chris said to Brian while looking at Haley critically.

"And she was the valedictorian..." Brian said.

"And she did do our homework when we were in high school..." Chris said.

"...and freshman year in college..."

"... and first semester of sophomore year..." Chris said.

"Yeah, I think she can behave." Brian said proudly.

"Yeah, we can trust her." Chris said agreeing.

"Good. You should." Haley said. "And stop talking about me as if I'm not here."

"So, you want a shot?" Chris asked with a grin.

"Chris!" Brian said. "Don't encourage her."

"Oh, come on. It'll be fine." Haley said. Chris looked at Brian and started to grin when Brian nodded his head in approval.

"Awesome! Actually, I have something very special here..." Chris said and started to go through the fridge and the cabinets looking for something.

"What are you looking for?" Haley asked.

"In my math class there's this Finnish exchange student Shawna or Sanya or something. I can't pronounce her name so we just call her FES for Foreign Exchange Student. Anyways, she told me about this awesome shot that they drink in Scandinavia like every day. She actually made me a bottle of it last week but I can't remember where I- Ha!" he yelled triumphantly and held up a bottle that had some disgusting, very disturbing, black liquid in it.

"What the hell is that?" Haley asked holding up the bottle and shaking it carefully.

"Fish."

"It tastes like fish?" Nathan asked in disgust.

"No, they call it fish because it tastes like some black candy or something that's called Fisherman's Friend. It's actually made of it. 2 bags of Fisherman and a bottle of vodka and you keep it closed for two days."

"That's disgusting." Haley said while holding the bottle back with crunched nose. "And it looks exactly like that."

"Come on, don't be a baby." Chris said pouring some of the black liquid into four shot glasses. He gave one to Brian, Nathan and Haley. He held up his in the air and the others followed.

"A toast to our awesome, cool baby sister who's growing up too damn fast." Chris said.

"Though not physically." Brian said. "I mean, you've been a midget for what, your whole life?"

"Hey! Why don't you just stick to the compliments." Haley said and then grinned mischievously. "Or I'll tell mom and dad about Cabo '04." The twins gasped in shock.

"Haley, you're beautiful." Brian said immediately.

"And smart."

"And funny."

"Cool."

"The best sister a brother could ever ask for."

"Awesome. So, let's forget about my height-" Haley started.

"Or the lack thereof..." Chris mumbled.

"-and finish the shots." Haley said ignoring her brother.

"Fine. To Haley! Thanks for visiting us, we love you." Brian said.

"Cheers." They all said and drank their shots. At the same time, they slammed the empty shot glasses back on the table, while groaning and saying 'Oh My God' over and over.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but that was actually so much worse than I thought..."

"I'm gonna kick that girl's foreign ass back to Finland."

"Or at least to Iowa State."

"Iowa State sucks!"

The next few hours went on the same way with the twins competing in drinking as Nathan and Haley laughed and made fun of them. They drank the whole night too, but not with the same speed as the twins but enough to be pretty drunk by the end of the night.

"... so, I think it's totally and completely wrong that you can't play basketball. I mean, didn't my less good-looking but equally-smart half-brother teach you anything?" Nathan asked slurring and looked at Haley confused when she started to giggle.

"What?" he asked.

"'Equally smart'..." she gasped between laughing.

"Hey, don't make fun. It's no fun." Nathan said and smiled. "Hey, that rhymed."

"It doesn't rhyme if it's the same word, dofus."

"Well, dofus is not a word."

"I'll show you a word." Haley said and then took a quick sip of her drink.

"That just made absolutely no sense." Nathan said after a short silence.

"Yeah, I know. I was hoping you wouldn't notice." She said laughing.

"Nice... So, how's that drink treating ya?"

"Well, it's giving me quite a nice buzz, thank you very much." she said.

"You're very much welcome."

"You know, you're not as horrible as I thought you were."

"Right back at ya." He said bumping his fist against hers.

"So, tell me something about you." Haley said.

"What? You already know me."

"No, I don't. This whole trip we've been talking about me and my issues. Chris and my siblings and all that. Blah, blah, blah. I'm actually starting to bore myself. Besides, I barely even know you." She said.

"Well, what do you wanna know?" Nathan asked.

"I don't care. Anything. What were you like as a kid? What did you wanna grow up to be? And why the hell were you so mean to Lucas?" she asked the last question with a laugh.

"Ever since I can remember I've always wanted to be a basketball player. It's been my goal since forever, I guess. I don't really remember what I was like as a kid. Tim's been my best friend since first grade. We went to a basketball camp every summer together and he lives like two houses from mine."

"Cool..."

"I just played ball as a kid. Most of the times because I wanted, sometimes because my dad made me."

"You regret it?"

"I don't know..." Nathan said running a hand through his hair, obviously having thought about the subject a lot. "I mean, would I be this good if he hadn't pushed me? This is my dream and whether I like it or not, he helped me to get here." He said. "But if I could choose between a normal dad and a basketball career, I would take the first one in a heart beat." Nathan confessed.

"Yeah..." Haley said. "But I disagree with what you said about your dad helping you get here."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"This is all you, Nathan. You would've made it here with him or without him. Whitey was an awesome coach and you might've even learned more if your dad hadn't been breathing down your neck 24/7."

"Maybe..." Nathan confessed. "Though, he was responsible for me treating Lucas badly. He kept telling me he was my enemy at basketball and that he was trying to steal my spot and everything. It took Lucas and I a while to understand that _he_ was the enemy."

"So, the person who tried to keep you apart was the reason you became friends."

"Now, there's some irony for you."

"No kidding..." Haley said. "I'm sorry about your dad. No one should go through what you have. It's not fair."

"Well, you know what they say. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."

"Or at least hurts like shit."

"Amen to that." He said taking a sip. "So, tell me. What does Haley James want to be when she grows up?"

"I don't know..." she said blushing a bit.

"Oh, come on. You must've had dreams when you were a kid."

"Well, I've never told this to anyone but I always wanted to be a singer."

"Yeah?"

"Too bad though that I'm completely and totally tone deaf. Seriously, I can't hold a tune if my life depended on it. Too bad, I think I would've enjoyed it."

"I'm sorry... But you don't have to know how to sing to enjoy the music."

"I know. Besides, it's not what I want the most." She said.

"Interesting. So, what _do _you want the most?"

"You have to promise not to laugh!" she said poking his chest with her finger.

"I promise."

"Ok, because if you tell I will-"

"Haley, I promise." He said looking at her sincerely.

"Fine." She said and took a breath. "What I truly want out of my life, is someone that I love, a beautiful house with a white picket fence and a garden. And a puppy!" She said.

"A puppy?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I mean, I obviously want kids but not in the near future. So, until kids, I'll settle for a dog."

"Sounds nice." He said.

"Oh, whatever." Haley said laughing. "I bet your dreams are more like NBA, bitches, fame, drugs and rock 'n' roll." She said with a knowing grin.

"No!" he said faking hurt and then adding under his breath. "More like NBA, money, sex and ESPN news."

"At least I got the NBA part right." She said with a grin. "But seriously, I hope you get what you want. You deserve it all."

"Yeah, you too." He said and looked at her with a sincere smile. "Cheers." He said clinking his cup against hers.

Haley finished the drink slowly and reached to put the plastic cup on the living room table. The alcohol finally taking its full effect on her, she accidentally missed the table and dropped it on the floor.

"And that's my cue, I guess." She said smiling.

"You going to bed? Already?" he asked disappointed.

"Yeah, I want us to get on the road early in the morning. But stay up as long as you want and wake me up in the morning when you get up."

"Sounds like plan. I won't stay here long though. I'll just finish the drink." He said pointing at his mug.

"Ok... Well, I'll see you in the morning." She said and reached over to give him a hug.

He returned it gladly and without realizing what he was doing, on an impulse, Nathan gave her a kiss right on the corner of her mouth. Enjoying every second of it, he let his lips linger on her before pulling back a few inches. Haley gasped lightly and looked at him with a slight blush.

None of those times she had kissed or even had sex with Chris had been as breath taking as that small kiss was. The butterflies on her stomach were going crazy and her face felt like it was burning.

"Good night, Hales." Nathan whispered.

"Good night, Nate." She managed to say with a smile. She got up and had to put all her concentration on not jumping up and down in joy. Nathan watched her walk away and as soon as she disappeared through the door, he slapped his hands together in excitement and gave a loud whoop.

"Hell yeah!" he said a bit too loud, earning some weird looks from people close by. "This is the best party ever!"

Haley entered the kitchen where she knew (and heard) her brothers were. She smiled as she saw the rowdy, loud college boys around the kitchen table playing a drinking game.

"Hey, boys." Haley said and poked her head between Chris and Brian and put her hands over their shoulder.

"Haley! You having fun?" Chris asked loudly.

"I'm excellent. You don't need to yell." She said and laughed. "I just came to say that I'm heading off to bed."

"Ok. You can sleep in Peter's room. He's still in Italy with his brother." Brian, who was the more sober one, said.

"Ok, thanks." Haley said.

"Had a fun night?"

Haley looked at him with a smile as she remembered her and Nathan's conversations and especially the goodnight kiss. Though it was only on her cheek and technically it was more a peck than a kiss, it was perfect.

"The best." She said smiling to herself.

"What's that smile for?" Brian asked with a smile.

"What smile?" she asked innocently.

"That Mona Lisa, I-know-something-you-don't-know –smile. You know, there are rumors that Mona Lisa was pregnant and hadn't told anyone about it which was why she had that knowing, innocent look on her face." He said proudly that the art class he had accidentally taken was finally paying off.

He then looked at her with his eyes wide in shock.

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

"No!" she said and slapped him lightly for even thinking that.

"Oh, thank god. No hurry in that field, by the way."

"No worries, Bri. We have more than enough nieces and nephews already. I'm in no hurry to change my status from 'aunt' to 'mom'."

"Good girl." Brian said and bumped his fist against Haley's. "So, what's got you smiling then?"

"No reason." Haley said. "I just had a good night, that's all."

"A good night with Nathan?" he asked.

"Just a good night, Brian." She said with a grin. "Which is what I'm telling you now. Good night, Bri."

"Fine, don't tell me." He said and gave her a hug. "Good night, sis."

"Night, Chris." Haley said ruffling Chris' hair.

"Good night, Haley. Remember to lock the doors so none of these morrons 'accidentally' surprise you in the middle of the night." Chris said with the air quotes and laughed when the guys protested being called morrons.

"Locking the door, gotcha." She said. "Nite, boys."

Haley waved goodbye and made her way towards the stair case that led upstairs where the bedrooms were. She passed the living room and looked up where she and Nathan had been hanging out.

She saw Nathan hanging out with Cisco and some other basketball players. They were doing shots and talking passionately about some basketball game they had all watched. Nathan's eyes met Haley's and she gave him a quick smile and a wave before continuing up the stairs.

She ran into Will who was coming down the stairs at the same time.

"Haley!" he said excited to see her and gave her a hug which she returned gladly.

"Hey, Will. How you doing?"

"Good. Are you having a blast?" he asked.

"How could I not?"

"That's the spirit." He said. "So, where's your boy toy?"

"Nathan's sitting with Cisco and some other b-ball guys by the couches." Haley said. Will looked over her shoulder at the couches and saw a pissed off Nathan glaring at them. He shook his head with a smile.

"Yeah, I can see that." He said.

"Yeah, well I'm gonna head off to bed. Have a great night, I need some sleep." She said and gave him a hug again before continuing up the stairs. Will smacked her ass as she walked past him which only made Haley laugh and Nathan glare even more.

"Good night, Will." Haley said with a smile before disappearing somewhere upstairs.

"Bye, Hales." Will yelled and looked down at the living room where Cisco and the other players had apparently turned the middle of the room into a dance floor. The guys were all grinding some freshmen girls, hoping to score. His eyes traveled to where Nathan was sitting by himself and he wasn't surprised to find him glaring at him.

"Guys are so easy..." Will said under his breath as he shook his head with a smile.

Nathan, who had witnessed the whole hugging/slapping in the ass –incident glared at Will who was talking to some guy on the other side of the room. Even though Nathan was already drunk, he took another shot of vodka angrily before glaring at Will again.

"What's got the hottest guy in the room so mad?"

Nathan turned to look at the blonde, whore-ish girl, Jess, who had just sat down next to him. She crossed her legs in a slow movement, making the short jean skirt ride even higher.

"Nothing." He said taking his eyes off of her legs.

"Nothing?" she purred putting her hand on his thigh and drawing circles on it with her thumb.

"Yeah, nothing." He mumbled starting to feel the alcohol hit him even more.

"Baby, you look like you use another shot." She said getting up and pouring them shots. She gave the other shot glass to Nathan.

"A toast to-" she started but stopped when Nathan drank his without waiting for her to finish. "Okay, no toast." She said with a grin and drank hers as well.

"So, wanna dance?" she asked getting closer to Nathan who still looked pissed.

"Nope, not really." He muttered.

"Not much of a dancer?" she asked. "That's fine, you can just sit here and watch me." She said.

"Whatever." Nathan said not really caring. Being as stupid as she was, Jess interpreted it as him playing her cold.

"You're right, watching isn't enough. How about I _give_ you a little dance?" she asked excited as some slow beat song started to blast from the stereos.

"Huh?"

"Just sit back, relax and enjoy." She said sitting on his lap, her back facing him. She started to grind him to the beat of the music as her hands traveled on his hips and thighs.

For few seconds Nathan could almost pretend like he was interested in her and enjoyed the dance. For few seconds he even mused himself with the thought of taking Jess in his room and giving her what she was obviously begging for.

It shouldn't have been any big deal, in fact he had done it a thousand times. So, why should this time be any different? Even at his drunken state he knew the answer.

Because of _her_.

He put his hands on Jess's waist and let them stay there for a few seconds still thinking his options. He then slowly pushed her away from his lap.

"Sorry, I'm not the one." He mumbled.

Nathan wasn't really sure whether he was referring to him not being the one for Jess or him not being that guy _at all_. That guy who could score some random girl, have sex with her and then just dump her like yesterday's news. That guy that he had been. Before she came along.

But unfortunately for Nathan, he didn't decide fast enough. Because those few seconds that his hands had been on Jess' waist, those few seconds when he had wondered what he was and what he wanted to be, those two seconds Haley had seen from the top of the stairs.

Having forgotten to tell Brian something, Haley had come back downstairs few minutes after leaving but she never made it all the way down the stairs. She'd stopped on her tracks when she had looked down at the living room and found Nathan getting a lap dance from the slutty college chick they had met before.

She had stared at them in shock for few seconds, not believing her eyes. She couldn't believe that right when she had started to think he wasn't the asshole he had been in high school, he had proven her wrong.

Biting her lip and trying to keep the angry tears from spilling, she gripped the rail case hard, her knuckles turning white in less than a second. As soon as she saw Nathan's hands rest on her hips, she narrowed her eyes in anger before running back upstairs.

She stormed into her bedroom and slammed the door shut and locked it. With angry steps, she started to pace the room.

She tried to make sense of her feelings, all of them. She was so confused that she didn't know what to think. She knew she was angry but she didn't know who she was angry at. Him for being a jerk or herself for thinking that he might not be one?

She knew she was hurt for both reasons but she couldn't figure out what the third feeling was. Well, it wasn't hard at all, she just wouldn't admit it to herself.

She was jealous. So frigging jealous that it made her sad, angry and hurt all at the same time.

She wasn't stupid, she knew she had no right to be mad or jealous. It's not like Nathan was her boyfriend or anything. She looked at herself in the mirror and ran a hand through her hair letting out an irritated sigh. Did she have a crush on him? If not, then why the hell did she care what he did? And if she did have a crush then what kind of a person did it make her? She was dating Chris, after all.

When her head started to hurt too much, she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She quickly changed her clothes into pyjamas and a tank before laying down on the bed and letting herself get buried under the blankets.

With a sad sigh, she closed her eyes trying to forget about everything and just fall asleep. After few hours of twisting and turning, she finally did but her dreams were anything but peaceful.

Day 6

Next morning Haley woke up to the sound of a knock on the door. She would've opened her eyes or even groaned had she had the energy but she simply chose to ignore it. After the second knock she pulled the covers over herself to block the sounds from the door.

After third, fourth and fifth knocks she finally opened her eyes. In the middle of the eighth knock, Haley stood up abruptly and walked to the door. She yanked the door open and glared at the person behind it furiously. Nathan. She suddenly got a flashback of him getting a lap dance from Jess.

"Nathan..." Haley growled as her eyes narrowed in anger.

Nathan looked at her curiously. She was wearing a pair of old pyjama pants and a wrinkled top. Her hair had been in a messy ponytail the night before but now the hair tie was barely hanging from the tips of her hair. She had dark circles under her eyes and she was leaning on the door frame like it was the only thing keeping her up.

"WHAT?!" she snapped when he didn't say anything.

It was surprisingly easy for Haley to go back to being mean to Nathan again. All she had to think about was how badly she had been wrong to assume that he could be a good guy.

The memory of the blonde slut on his lap also made it a hell of a lot easier.

"Jeez, someone sure has a hangover." Nathan muttered.

"You look like shit." Haley said looking at Nathan with narrowed, angry eyes.

"Yeah, I'm so hungover. I know I promised to wake up early and wake you up too but honestly, I was too tired." He said. Haley looked at him with an even angrier look.

"Whatever, manwhore. Don't you have someone waiting in your bed or did you already kick her out after you got what you wanted?"

"What?" he asked confused.

"I just thought you'd be too busy with your _friend_." Haley said biting her tongue to not call the girl a whore.

"What friend?" Nathan asked still confused.

"Oh, the blonde, whore-ish girl, Jess or whatever, who was wearing something straight out of Sluts 'R Us. You know, the one who was giving you that little lap dance last night."

"You saw that? Yeah, I ditched her halfway through the dance. Too clingy." He said laughing. His smile soon faded when he saw that Haley was still glaring at him. _Obviously the wrong answer_, Nathan thought to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing." She said in a cold voice.

"Wait, are you jealo-"

"If you finish that sentence I will kick you so hard in the balls that you won't be able to reproduce. Which wouldn't be such a big loss considering your genes. Like a father, like a son, huh." She said bitterly. Nathan looked at her with a mixture of surprise and hurt.

"I'm gonna let you slip on that remark but when you come downstairs you better change that attitude. Being a bitch is no fun, Haley."

"Bite me." She said before slamming the door shut.

Nathan looked at the closed door in total confusion.

"What the hell just happened?" he muttered as he made his way downstairs.

Nathan walked back to kitchen looking confused and pissed off.

"Was she awake?" Chris asked while eating some cereal and reading the sports pages from the newspaper.

"Yeah, and apparently _a little_ hangover." He said holding his thumb and index finger close.

"What do you mean?" Brian asked.

"She practically bid my head off."

"Must be PMSing." Chris said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, it's normal for the James women. Just lay low and don't say or do anything to piss her off." Chris said.

"Piss of who?" Will said coming to the kitchen. He chuckled to himself when he saw Nathan giving him a dirty look. Apparently Nathan was still irritated by his way of acting around Haley, all flirty and touchy.

"Haley." Chris and Brian said at the same time.

"My little Haley?" Will asked. "But she's my princess, she can't have a bad day."

"Yeah, well apparently even princesses PMS." Chris said and burst out laughing at the same time with Brian.

"You two are mean. No wonder you can't keep any girls." Will said and used the steal door of the fridge as a mirror and fixed his hair.

"Well, we get more women than you do."

"Ha ha, very funny. That doesn't count." He said still playing with his hair. He looked at the watch quickly. "Oh, shoot. I gotta go. Got a hot lunch date." he said.

"Have fun." Chris yelled after him.

"Oh, I will. It was good to meet you, Nathan. Tell Haley I miss her already." He said and left.

Nathan looked at him leave with an annoyed look.

"Let me ask you a question." He said to Chris and Brian after a while.

"Shoot." Chris said not taking his eyes off of the newspaper.

"Why do you practically bite my head off when I as much as look at Haley but you do nothing when Will hugs, kisses and slaps her ass?"

Chris dropped the newspaper he was holding and looked at Nathan like he was crazy or just a plain retard.

"You're kidding, right?" Brian asked.

"No. Why?" Nathan asked quietly, feeling suddenly very small.

Brian and Chris looked at each other before bursting out into a loud laughter. After a few minutes of laughing and pretty much rolling on the floor, they finally calmed down.

"Will's gay." Brian finally said when he started to feel sorry for the confused and embarrassed looking Nathan.

"Say what now?" Nathan asked not believing his ears.

"Gay. As in homosexual. As in more interested in _you_ than her." Chris said.

"Oh my god... I'm so stupid." Nathan said suddenly feeling so stupid for being jealous of Will.

"Were you jealous of him and Haley?" Chris asked abruptly.

"Jealous? Of course not!" he said and saw something on the back of paper Chris was holding. "She has a boyfriend." He said pointing at the picture of Chris Keller that was on the paper.

Nathan smiled to himself when the twins huffed annoyed after seeing the picture of Chris Keller.

"I love my name but I gotta say that Chris Keller really tries to put it to shame." Chris said thinking about Haley's boyfriend.

"Yeah, if I ever see that guy in person I just might do something that I'll regret later..." Brian said thinking for a while. "Then again, he would so deserve it all."

"No kidding..."

"Not the biggest fans?" Nathan asked.

"Nope. We hate the guy more than anything else in the world." Chris said dryly.

"I think Quinn said something bad about him too." Nathan said.

"Oh, I have no doubt. It's like a mutual thing in our family that we all share. The hatred towards Chris Keller." Chris said sarcastically.

"Will you stop talking shit about my boyfriend?" Haley, who just entered the kitchen, said.

"As soon as you realize how wrong he's for you." Brian said.

"Just stop it." Haley said. "I don't wanna fight with you." She said.

"You're right, you're right. We just want what's best for you, you know that right?"

"Yeah, of course..." she said and caught something on the newspaper. "Chris has a concert in Nebraska?" she asked as she read the advertisement to his concert.

"Yep..." Brian said. "Wouldn't wanna be there." He mumbled.

"Me neither..." Chris said as Nathan nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, I do." Haley said with a determined voice which made Nathan groan.

She had been thinking the whole night and had come to the conclusion that she needed to sort out her things. She needed to figure out how she felt about Nathan but before she could do that she needed to figure out how she felt about Chris. She needed to talk to Chris about their relationship and they both had to either commit to it more or break up.

"Do we have to?" Nathan whined.

"You can do the hell you wanna do but I'm gonna be at that concert." She said looking at him coldly.

"Fine, let's go to a rock concert." He said his hands in the air in surrender.

"Good, so it's settled." She said. "So, I think we're gonna hit the road."

"Thanks for visiting us, sis. It was good to see you."

"You too, Chris. I missed you." Haley said hugging her brother before hugging the other one as well.

"I'll see you at Christmas." Brian said as they all walked outside where Nathan's SUV was parked.

"Yeah, you're always welcome to visit me too, you know." Haley said as she sat down on the driver's side.

"We'll keep that in mind." Chris said with a smile.

"Drive safe." Brian said turning to look at Nathan. "And let us know when you get to LA."

"Ok. It was good to meet you both. Good luck with basketball." Nathan said.

"You too, man." Chris said.

"And look after the little one, ok." Brian said motioning towards Haley.

"Of course." Nathan said as Haley turned the ignition on.

"Bye! Love you both!" Haley yelled before they left.

"You too!"

Brian and Chris stayed by the side of the road until they could no longer see the car in the distance.

"You think they'll ever get past all of their personal shit and finally realize that they like each other and hook up?" Chris asked.

"_Ever_? You kidding me? Dude, I'll give them few more days on the road." Brian said determined.

"Oh yeah? Before of after Vegas?"

"How about _in_ Vegas?" Brian suggested.

"You know what they say... What happens in Vegas..."

"... is something we should never ever find out." Brian said when he realized that they were talking about their baby sister's sex life.

"Never. Oh my god, eew!"

"Why did we let her leave with him again?"

* * *

So, there you go... Any thoughts?

-Fes-


	9. Cheating The Hater & Hating The Cheater

So, I'm back with chapter 9. Thanks for all the reviews and please keep them coming. Cheers. :)

* * *

Quote of the day: X-Files 

Scully (speaking in a bored, monotone voice to a recorder): "Begin autopsy on white male, age sixty, who is arguably having a worse time in Texas than I am... Though not by much. I'll begin with the Y-incision. Yeehaw."

* * *

**Chapter 9. Cheating The Hater/Hating The Cheater. (aka The Most Predictable Chapter Ever Written By Yours Truly)** :)

Day 6, Iowa.

_Staring at the blank page before you_

_Trying to open up the dirty window._

_Let the sun illuminate the words _

_that you cannot find._

"And who the hell is this?"

"Natasha Bedingfield."

"And who was the one before her?"

"Michelle Branch."

"And the one before that?

"Norah Jones."

"And the difference is...?"

"Uh, maybe the fact that they are three different people?"

"Whatever, they all sound the same."

"You know, most people would say that about rappers. At least you can understand what Michelle Branch is singing about."

"Can we please change the music?"

"Nathan, we made a pact. And all of the before mentioned artists were on my list. So shut the fuck up. I'm tired of listening you whine like a girl."

"And I'm tired of you being a bitch. I just don't want to listen to any music and I wanna sleep. I have a huge headache."

"It's called a hangover, you fuck."

"Whatever. Just, please turn the music off."

"So, we'd just sit in silence?"

"Yep."

"Hell no."

"Please?"

"No way, Nathan. I'm already bored as it is."

"I'll give you twenty bucks."

Silence.

"Sure, I could use the money."

"Thank you."

"Whatever, you ass."

"Ok, I'm gonna take a nap since you're obviously no fun. How about you wake me up when your period is over? You're being a bitch with a capital B."

"Sleep tight, manwhore."

"Don't be a hater, Hales." Nathan said and sighed annoyed as he arranged his seat so it was on horizontal level.

They'd been on the road for over 3 hours now, Haley driving. Nathan was still hung over from the previous night and Haley was obviously still pissed at him.

She knew she had no right to be mad and bitchy but every time she tried to be nice she got a flashback of the previous night when she had seen Nathan getting a lap dance from some college slut.

Normally it wouldn't bother her at all, she was aware of Nathan's habits after all, but she had just started to like Nathan and think that he wasn't as awful as she had always thought he was. He was mad at Nathan for proving her wrong but she was even more mad at herself for opening up to him and actually trusting him and believing he was different.

And not to even mention that she was jealous as hell which pissed her off even more.

You're not supposed to get jealous of other guys when you're dating someone else. On top of all the anger she felt towards him, she felt incredibly guilty. She felt like she was cheating on Chris, which made her feel even shittier.

With all that anger, jealousy and guilt in her, you can imagine why she as acting like a bitch. She was acting out on the only person who was close to her, Nathan.

Haley sighed quietly wondering how the hell she had gotten so messed up and whether she could ever get her things straightened out. She looked at the watch and realized that she was going to be in Nebraska in about 2 hours. She had read from the paper and checked online that Chris Keller had a concert at the University of Nebraska.

Determined to not spend another sleepless night, she had decided to go see him and have a serious face-to-face conversation with him about their relationship. She needed to get her head straight and she needed to start from him.

The silence was broken by a ringing cell phone.

_If you like my body._

_And you think I'm sexy._

_Come on sugar, let me know._

Haley let the cell phone ring for a while so Nathan would wake up. She smiled in satisfaction when he opened his eyes slowly.

"Brookie!" Haley answered her cell phone while Nathan mumbled something about shitty ring tones under his breath.

"Yes, where else would we be besides on the road?... No, I'm driving... Oh, shut up. I can drive and talk at the same, I'm not retarded or anyth- OH MY GOD! THAT WAS A RED LIGHT... Ha ha, I'm just kidding, Brooke..." Haley said joking as she held the phone.

"Relax. No, I didn't hit anyone... I swear... Yeah, of course Nathan's here... Yes, he's conscious. Why wouldn't he be here or conscious?... Oh, the silence is because he paid me twenty bucks so I wouldn't listen to my music." Haley said and laughed with Brooke.

"Oh, what have we been doing today? Nathan, you wanna tell our dear friend Brookie here what we have been doing?" Haley asked with a sarcastic smile as she held the phone towards him.

"Screw you." Nathan mumbled still sleepy.

"You got that, Brooke? He's so positive. I swear, he makes me smile every time he talks." Haley laughed. She knew she was being a major bitch but couldn't help it.

"Well, we've been on the road only about three hours... Why? Because some horn dog who shall stay anonymous got drunk and hooked up with some college slut last night and was too hung over to wake up any earlier." She said trying to not sound jealous.

She had almost calmed down and gotten past her anger but talking about it, actually _telling_ someone about it, reminded Haley of the disappointment she had felt.

"I didn't hook up with anyone." Nathan said already bored to listening to the conversation.

"Whatever, Nate... He got a lap dance..." Haley whispered on the phone as if Nathan wouldn't hear.

"Ya, I know. So disgusting... Anyways, we didn't get to leave until like noon and we had to stop 30 minutes later because the before mentioned asshole decided that he wanted hangover food so we stopped at Wendy's... Oh, I had a milk shake..." she said telling Brooke the story and listening to what she said.

"Yeah, 30 minutes later we had to stop for a bathroom break. 45 minutes later we had to stop for another bathroom break... Why? I don't wanna know but my guess it that the soda and the burgers don't really digest at the same time... I know! So disgusting." She said and smiled happily when she heard Nathan sigh deeply in annoyance.

"Then about an hour later it was already time for dinner... Oh, I just had a pizza... Brooke, I know! But there's no way I'm gonna get a salad from a gas station. They are so gross... Yeah, after the dinner he thankfully fell asleep but decided to snore so loud that the windows were practically shattering..." she said and almost giggled when Nathan looked at her even more annoyed.

"Actually Brooke, I did try that but he kept spitting the sock out."

"What? You put a sock in my mouth?" Nathan yelled now fully awake and _very_ angry.

"Only like five times." She said smiling at Nathan. "But don't worry, I didn't use my own socks." She said and that time laughed out load at the disgusted face Nathan made. She then continued talking on the phone.

"Hey, speaking of sleeping, Brooke, I've got a question to ask. Does Lucas also mumble basketball scores in his sleep?

"I do not!" Nathan said.

"I was wondering if it's a Scott-thing or just a Nathan-thing." Haley said to Brooke ignoring Nathan's annoyance. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Lucas _is_ normal, after all."

"Hey, I'm right here!" Nathan said wishing he hadn't woken up from his sleep so soon.

"Yeah, I don't think he appreciated that at all." Haley said to Brooke while looking at Nathan.

"Don't talk like I'm not sitting right next to you."

"Shhhh! I'm trying to have a conversation here." She whispered to Nathan to piss him off even more before turning back to the phone. "Sorry about that, Brooke. He's so rude... I know!"

"Haley!"

"That was Nathan again... Yeah, he's having a fit. I guess when Sleepy wakes up, it turns into Grumpy. You do remember how I told you that his personalities are straight from the 'Snow White', right?"

"You better shut off the damn phone now!" Nathan glared at her. He was hung over, tired and Haley bashing him was the last thing he needed. Haley looked at him with an annoyed glare and sighed loudly that pissed off Nathan even more.

"Brooke, I gotta go. Nathan's PMS-ing... Love you too, babe." She said and hung up the phone. "Is there something you need, Nathan?" she asked sweetly while being full aware of how much of a bitch she was being. She was taking the anger out on the only person who was there, him.

Nathan glared at her in anger trying to find the right words.

"You... you're so... why do you... I thought..."

"Mimimimimi." Haley mimicked him in a high voice.

That seemed to be the last straw to finally push Nathan over the edge.

"That's it! You little bitch! What the fuck is your problem? I though we were starting to get along but obviously it's impossible with you! If this is the way you want the rest of the trip go, fine! But don't expect me to play nice either!"

During the entire rant Haley had kept her eyes strictly on the road. Knuckles white because of gripping the wheel so hard, she kept her mouth firmly shut until Nathan was done with his speech. She could feel the limp in her throat growing and she had to bite the side of her lip to keep herself from crying.

After few deep breaths through the nose to calm herself down, she opened her mouth to explain herself, to tell him why she had been such a bitch and a pain in the ass the whole day.

She looked at him and opened her mouth, but the angry, frustrated, cold look on Nathan's face stopped her. She ended up closing her mouth and turning to look at the road again without saying anything. She didn't feel like explaining herself, just wanted to get to Chris as fast as possible. The confusion in her life was starting to seriously piss her off.

Nathan rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated breath before closing his eyes angrily.

They stayed silent the next few hours both in their thoughts. Nathan was angry at her for being so mean and annoying. Haley was angry at him and herself and just plain confused about everything. The closer she got to Nebraska Uni, the more nervous she became. She had no idea how Chris was going to react to seeing her and she was even more clueless to what she was going to say to him.

Pretty soon, sooner than she wanted, they made it to their destination. Having read that the concert was being held at a local club she drove the car to the parking lot of it. The concert wouldn't be on for few more hours but she knew that Chris liked to hang out back stage before every gig. And his huge tour bus in the parking lot that had his face painted on it, also gave him away.

"Do I have to come?" Nathan asked as Haley unbuckled.

"I would prefer if not." She said opening her door.

"Might as well come. I wanna be there when he sees you and can't remember who you are. He'll probably think you're a groupie." he said laughing.

"Very funny." She said dryly.

"And I've gotta pee." Nathan added following her.

"Cute." She said bored.

They walked up to the back door of the club. Haley saw an unfamiliar bouncer by the door.

"Hey, I'm Haley James." she said to the bouncer.

"And?" he asked bored as Nathan covered his laugh with a cough. Haley glared at him quickly.

"I'm on the list." She said. The bouncer looked at her suspiciously before taking the list from his pocket. He flipped through the several pages.

"What was your name again?"

"Haley James." She said and glared at Nathan who was clearly enjoying the moment.

"Sorry, don't have it. I have a Helen Jensen and a Hallie Johnsson here though."

"Then call Chris and tell him that Haley, his _girlfriend_, is at the door." Haley said starting to get more and more irritated.

"I don't think so." He said unapologetically. He had heard millions of excuses throughout his life and he knew that the fans would do anything to get in.

"Listen to me. There's gotta be a mistake. Get Chris. Or his manager Lynne Larter, or his agent Steven Grey or his publicist Shawna Stokes. Or Big-Mike, his personal bodyguard, which I still think he doesn't need. They know me. Get someone here." She said sternly. The bouncer looked at her surprised that she knew such detailed information about Chris.

"Fine. But if they haven't heard of you, you're out." He said going inside while Nathan and Haley stayed out.

She looked at Nathan who was busy trying to not burst out laughing.

"Not a word." She hissed at him.

"I didn't say anything." He said. "Though I was right when I said he doesn't remember you. We might as well leave now because he's probably gonna offer you his autograph when he sees you."

"Why don't you just not talk? Huh? Think you can do that for one minute?" Haley asked annoyed.

"Why don't you quit being a bitch?" he asked annoyed.

"Why don't you quit your bitch-_ing_? You sound like a little girl." Haley said back.

"What the hell is up your ass? Your thong too tight?"

"What the hell's the matter with you?! Is it so difficult for you to act like a normal person for just one day?"

"One of us has been having issues the entire day and it's not me!" Nathan yelled.

"One of us has been hung over the entire day and thus in a shitty mood! And let's just say that I didn't get wasted last night!"

"Bitch!"

"Jerk!"

"Whor-"

"Miss? Sir?" the bouncer interrupted them

"What?!" Nathan and Haley snapped while glaring at him.

"You're free to go inside, Miss James. I talked to Lynne and she said she remembers you." The bouncer said letting Nathan and Haley inside.

"Thank you." Haley said and looked at Nathan triumphantly as they walked inside.

"Which way is his room?"

"Down the hall, up the stairs and the last door on the right." He said.

Nathan and Haley followed the directions in silence. Dozens of people were in the hallways and in the other rooms. Some were getting drunk while the others were enjoying the buffet in the corner. As soon as they made it upstairs, it became very clear that most of the people were lingering by the back of the hallway where Chris' room was.

Haley tried to ignore the half naked, drunk girls and told herself that they were there for the other band members. She saw a group of girls who were drinking champagne and blocking the entrance to Chris' room. With as much of annoyance and bitchyness as possible without being hostile, she made her way through the group of skanks.

"Hey!" one of the girls yelled at her.

"Wait for your turn!" some other girl said.

Nathan looked at the girls around them and suddenly got a bad feeling that the situation was about to go from bad to worse.

"Haley, maybe we should just leave..." Nathan suggested.

"No way! You can wait in the car but I'm not leaving yet." She said pushing last of the girls out of her way. She opened the door and stepped inside, Nathan behind her.

"Chris?" Haley asked and looked around the room but all she could see was two topless girls sitting on some guy's lap.

Suddenly a very familiar head appeared behind the before mentioned girls. Chris.

Haley dropped her purse on the floor and looked at him her mouth open in shock feeling like someone had just kicked her in the guts. Nathan shook his head sadly with a sigh and looked at Haley sympathetically. He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Starting to shake a bit, Haley was still unable to say anything.

"Haley, so good to see you!" Chris said getting up from the coach. Nathan glared at him and tightened his hold on Haley as Chris made his way towards Haley.

"How have you been?" Chris asked and was about to touch her on the cheek but Nathan slapped his hand away and shook his head as if saying 'don't even think about it'.

The action seemed to snap Haley out of her shock. She looked over Chris' shoulder at the two girls who didn't even bother to put their shirts, or bras for that matter on.

"What the fuck!" she yelled. "What the hell is this?!" she said motioning towards the girls.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm being rude. Haley, these lovely girls are Bree and Lauren."

"Actually it's Breanna and Laura." The other girl said but Chris merely waved his hand as if he didn't care.

"I don't care what their names are! What the hell are you doing with them?!" she yelled.

"Haley, let's go." Nathan said quietly to her. He was afraid that things were about to get ugly.

"Oh, they're my girls." Chris said and turned to look at Haley.

"_I_ am your girl!"

"Yes, you are. One of them."

"What?"

"You didn't think you were my only girlfriend?"

A deep, uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"Oh, you did, didn't you!" he said and looked at her as he smiled in sympathy. "That's _so_ sweet."

"What?" she asked in a confused, weak, heartbroken voice.

"Haley, I thought I made it clear that I'm seeing other people."

"When was this?" she said her voice starting to shake a little.

"When we talked on the phone." He said.

"When?! We haven't talked for more than 15 seconds in months!" she said trying to keep the tears from falling.

"Oh. It must've been some other Haley then. There's so many, I get confused. But when I left Tree Hill for my tour, you didn't honestly think we'd stay together?"

"Haley, let's go." Nathan said when he could feel her shoulders starting to shake even more.

"How could you do this to me?" she whispered to Chris.

"Oh, come on. You didn't really think I would stay committed to only one relationship while I'm touring? Don't be stupid, Haley."

"I thought you loved me, I thought you cared about me." She whispered not being able to look at Chris anymore.

"I do care about you. But I also care about Breanne and Laurel."

"Breanna and Laura." Both of the girls said at the same time as Chris waved his hand again as if he didn't care.

"How can you treat people like this?" she asked.

Chris took a step closer with a bored sigh, finally starting to get sick of the conversation.

"I'm a fucking rock god. I do the fuck I want." He whispered coldly.

That was the last straw for her. Haley felt like her heart was about to burst and that her insides were turning around. Her head was pounding against her forehead and she was pretty sure she would throw up in the next 5 seconds. Though she mused herself with the thought of puking all over Chris, the hatred and desire not to see him was stronger.

So, she ran.

She ran out the room, through the group of girls and down the stairs. By the time she got outside, she was breathing heavily, partly because she was out of breath but mostly because she was trying to calm herself down so she wouldn't cry. She bent over and leaned her hands on her knees while biting her lip so hard she could taste blood in her mouth.

When Nathan finally found her she looked like she was one second away from a mental and physical breakdown and on the verge of a panic attack.

"There you are..." he whispered when he saw her. He looked at her with a worried look and walked slowly to where she was.

"Hales..." he said quietly.

"I'm so stupid..." she whispered and sat down on the ground, leaning on the cold brick wall while hugging her knees.

"No, you're not." He said sternly as he squatted down in front of her. "He's an ass. A jerk. He never deserved you."

"What the hell's the matter with me? Everyone told he was like this, everyone! My family, my friends, even you and you'd never even met him! Why the hell am I so stupid?" she said with a pained look.

"You're a good person. You believe the best of everyone even if they don't deserve it. It's not your fault if they misuse that trust."

"I just never thought I'd be one of those stupid, naive girls who'd get duped like this. I'm an idiot! I probably deserve to be cheated." She said.

"No! Listen to me! You're a good person. You love your friends and family and you always put them first. I mean, you even promised to do this road trip with me just because Brooke and Lucas asked you, even though you hate me."

"I don't hate you." She said. "Look, I'm sorry for being so mean to you today. I had my reasons, stupid ones, but I never meant anything I said." She said apologizing and then huffed bitterly. "I guess I got what I deserved, huh. Karma's a bitch."

"Hey, stop apologizing! See, that's exactly what I meant. Even now when you're the victim, you still put others before yourself." Nathan said and took a deep breath in before continuing.

"You're a good person, Haley. You're kind and beautiful and so frigging smart that you scare the shit out of me sometimes." Nathan said and gave himself a mental pat on the shoulder when Haley smiled a bit.

"Chris Keller never deserved you and he never will. He's an ass and obviously mentally challenged. He's a loser with a capital L." Nathan said. "So, why don't we get the hell out of here and find a motel or something? Or we can call the tabloids and make up dirty rumors about Chris. We can call him impotent or maybe a drug addict? Or we can say he has herpes. People hate herpes." Nathan said starting to get excited about spreading dirty rumors about Chris.

"No, thanks. But I do need to go back there." She said looking at the entrance with a shudder.

"What, why?"

"Because I was a mess a minute ago in there. And I'm not gonna give him the pleasure of letting that be the last thing he remembers about me. I'm gonna go there with my head held up high and look at him down my nose like the garbage that he is." She said and looked at Nathan.

When he looked her with raised eyebrows, she sighed.

"Ok, so I left my purse up there."

"Let's go." He said with a smile and helped her get up from the ground.

Haley made her way through the building with a stern look. She was pretty amazed and damn proud of herself for still not crying, considering that she was the most emotional person she knew. She took a deep breath as she went through the same group of girls as before. Pushing the door open, she saw Chris making out with not only two but three girls. And he was shirtless. Haley rolled her eyes annoyed as Nathan looked at her worried.

"You're unbelievable." Haley said loudly to Chris.

Chris, surprised that she was back, stood up from the couch to face her.

"Oh, I know. Thanks." He said thinking she was giving him a compliment.

"You disgust me." She hissed.

"What?" he asked narrowing his eyes in anger.

Nathan took a step forward and glared at Chris, letting him know that if he took one step forward he would break his bones.

"You heard me." Haley said. "You're disgusting."

"Excuse me?" Chris asked still in disbelief. _No one_ talked to him like that.

"You disgust me, Chris. More than anyone ever has and yet... I'm still thankful." Haley said surprising everyone in the room.

"Huh?" Nathan and Chris asked at the same time.

"I mean, now I can start college as a single woman instead waste another minute of my life with you. So, thank you for showing me what a bastard you truly are because now I don't have to pretend that I like you, or your shitty music for that matter."

"You should leave because-" Chris started but Haley cut him off.

"I don't know what I dislike the most about you. Is it your body, your personality or your music? I mean, not only are you freakishly skinny and totally creepy but you also have the worst sense of humor." Haley said and smiled when Chris crossed his hands over his chest self-consciously.

"I'm actually kind of relieved that I don't have to pretend to like your jokes anymore. How frigging great is that!" she said and gave a loud, hysterical laugh.

"Shut-" Chris started in an angry voice but Haley was on a roll.

"And on top of totally lacking in looks and personality, your music sucks too! Sony was right to decline working with you. So, enjoy while it lasts, Chris. Because fame is not forever, especially in your case." She said smiling satisfied.

"Shut. Up." He said through gritted teeth as Nathan looked at Haley proudly.

"Enjoy it all now. Because in the end it will come down to the rest of the world finally realizing what I just did. That you're a loser. With a capital L."

"Out." Chris said pointing towards the door. Haley just smiled at him smugly, knowing that she was getting under his skin.

"You were a loser in high school, you were a loser before you got famous and even with all the chicks and the bling bling you seem to have now, you're _still_ a loser. Hollywood will forget about you faster than your date ditched you at your senior prom." Haley said and laughed out load when Chris' face turned red.

"OUT!" He screamed in fury.

"Wait, you're not getting upset over little me, are you?" Haley asked faking innocence. "Oh my god, you are. That's _so_ sweet." She said mimicking his words from earlier.

"You listen to me-" Chris started angrily but like before, Haley was not about to let him have a word.

"No, you listen to me." She hissed. "Like I said, enjoy this moment. Because very soon when your career dies, you will be left with nothing but a few back stage memories and just as many STD's." She said and turned to look at the girls in pity.

"Watch out." Haley whispered to them and gave Chris a wide smile when the girls looked at each other with panicked expressions and started to put their shirts back on.

Haley turned to look at Chris with the same smug smile.

"You little slut." Chris said pissing Nathan off even more. He _really_ was asking for a death wish.

"No, you are the slut." Haley hissed. "You just pissed off the wrong fucking girl, Christopher." Haley said through narrowed eyes and grabbed her purse from the ground before storming off with a proud Nathan on her heels.

They walked back to the parking lot where their car was. Haley was about to go inside the car when she saw Chris' tour bus on the parking lot. She then suddenly remembered what Taylor used to say to her when she was a kid.

Big girls don't cry. _They get even._

"Unlock the doors, please." Haley said never looking away from the tour bus. When he did so, Haley opened the door and dug something out of her back bag.

With determined steps she walked in front of the bus. She looked at it for few seconds before taking the cap off of the thick, black marker she was holding.

5 minutes later she walked back to the SUV. Nathan, who had stayed by the car so he could marvel Haley's artistic abilities, started to applaud when she walked back.

"You're the next Picasso."

"Thank you." She said and turned to look at the tour bus that had the picture of Chris Keller with the added moustache, devil's horns and the phrase 'Slut' written all over his face.

"You ready to get the hell out of here?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah..." she whispered back and climbed in the car.

Letting Nathan drive and looking back at the club, a wave of emotions suddenly took over her. The anger was over and the sadness had taken over. She distinctly remembered reading about the different stages of grief or something and realized that she had just finished the anger face.

She tried to swallow back the lump in her throat. When it didn't help any, she closed her eyes with a deep sigh. It was going to be a long night.

"You were pretty great out there. Letting him know exactly what you felt before trashing his bus? Priceless." Nathan said after a short silence.

"Great." She said quietly and sniffed while trying to adjust the back of her seat so it would be on horizontal level.

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked when he heard her quiet voice.

She looked at him and felt another set of tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong? _What's wrong?!_ Everything!" she yelled still trying to adjust the seat with the small handle on the side.

"Huh?" Nathan asked confused.

A second ago she had seemed to be ok, now she was back to being on the verge of a breakdown. _She just found out she was cheated on, you idiot. She's not gonna be fine after few mean words to the bastard_, Nathan thought to himself.

"I trusted him! Cared for him! I defended him when everyone I knew told me not to! He never cared about me and he made a complete fool out of me! I have never felt this stupid and miserable at the same time! All I wanna do is forget about him and every single minute we spent together! And how the hell do you use this fucking thing!" she yelled still trying to get the back of her seat to work.

She pulled the handle until it twisted the wrong direction and broke from the entire seat. She sat back and took a deep breath to calm herself down while holding the broken handle in her hands. She gave it to Nathan with a sad smile.

"I promise I'll pay for that." She said weakly.

"Don't worry about it." He said taking it from her.

He looked at it for a moment thinking what to do with it before throwing it behind him nonchalantly and turning to look at Haley worried.

"I'm sorry I'm being such a mess." She said to Nathan. "I thought that being mean to him and giving him some attitude would help me feel better but I just feel worse." She said hugging her knees and trying her best to not completely break down.

"Like I said earlier, don't apologize for anything. Just take your time and do what you gotta do. The pain's not gonna go away right now. It's gonna take time. But don't worry, you'll be fine." he said and was about squeeze her shoulder reassuringly but she pulled away.

"Please don't touch me. Because if I hug you now and let myself relax and be sad, I'm gonna completely break down and it's not gonna be pretty. And I'm not ready for that yet. I don't wanna cry because of him." She said breathing deeply to keep herself together.

"Ok... I understand. But I'm here for you. Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks. Let's just get the hell out of here." She whispered and took another deep breath to stay calm and keep herself together.

Haley stayed quiet for the rest of the drive. She was proud of herself for being able to say the last word to Chris but it didn't change the fact that she still had been cheated on. She still had thought that he loved her. But most of all she was disappointed in herself. How could she have been so stupid and naive? All of her friends and her whole family had warned her about him but she had still trusted him.

"We need gas." Nathan commented.

"Let's just find a motel." Haley said quietly.

"It's not even 6 pm yet... I could drive us far away from here."

"Thanks, but I really just feel like taking a shower and sleeping right now." She said quietly.

"Sure..." he said and drove them to the closest motel.

"I'm gonna get us rooms, you can wait here." Nathan said when they got in front of the motel. He jumped out of the car and started to walk towards the reception.

Haley sat inside the car for a while but soon the silence started disturb her. She got out of the car and opened the trunk to get her stuff out. She grabbed her bag and was about to close the trunk when something in Nathan's open bag caught her eyes.

She set her bag on the ground and curiously opened his bag more. With raised eyebrows she looked at something in there. She took the object out and held it for few seconds before putting it in her own bag.

She closed the trunk and waited till Nathan got back from the reception.

"So, we got rooms 15 and 16." Nathan said when he came back.

"Thanks." She said taking the other key and starting to walk towards the room. Nathan quickly took his duffel bag from the trunk, locked the doors and followed her.

"So, do you need anything? Are you hungry?"

"Nope, I'm good. Thanks for asking." Haley said.

"Ok, if you need anything, I'm right here." He said stopping in front of his door.

"Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it but I just need to be alone." She said with a weak smile and opened the door to her room.

"Good night then, I guess. I'll see you in the morning." Nathan said.

"Yeah, you too." She said and walked inside the room.

She closed the door and leaned on it. Taking another deep breath she kept telling herself that if she just took a warm, relaxing shower and got a good night sleep, she would be fine.

She went to the bathroom, turned the hot water knob on and stripped down her clothes. She stepped in the tub, letting the hot water soak her entire body.

She still couldn't believe she had been cheated on. Her whole life she had always been the smart one. She had always tried to do things the smart way, always thinking things through before acting. She felt so incredibly naive for trusting Chris even though her instincts had screamed against it.

Haley promised to herself that from that moment on, she would always follow her instincts. _Always_.

Turning the water ever hotter, she could feel another wave of emotions trying to take over. Normally she would've just let herself cry and be sad for those few days and start the healing process but it was different in Chris' case.

She didn't want to shed a single tear for him because he wasn't worth it. She felt that if she cried, he would win. So, she kept telling herself to keep it together and just move on with her life.

After staring at the shower wall in front of her for few more minutes, Haley turned the knob until the water stopped running. After drying herself, she put a pair of sweats and a top on and threw back the covers of the bed. She laid on the bed and buried herself under the blankets, trying to block all the sounds from the outside world.

She was exhausted and really tried her best to clear her mind and fall asleep but she kept seeing flashbacks of Chris. Him and her meeting for the first time, their first date, first kiss, first time they had sex-

At that thought, Haley suddenly got up from the bed and ran in the bathroom and threw up her dinner in the toilet. The thought that she had had sex with him disgusted her beyond everything else. She washed her face and stared at herself in the mirror.

"Get yourself together, Haley." She muttered to herself. "Do _not_ cry over him! You were miserable enough when you were dating, now you've finally gotten rid of him. You should be celebrating."

She looked at herself thoughtfully. "Celebrating..."

She walked out of the bedroom with a determined look. She opened her bag again and took something out of there, something she had stolen from Nathan's bag.

Haley looked at the bottle of vodka that had about 1/4 of the liquid left. _Just enough for few nice drinks_, Haley thought while twisting the cap open.

"To Chris." She muttered before taking a sip straight from the bottle.

After feeling the warmth of the alcohol spread in her body, (and the burning in her throat) she could feel herself relax a bit more and forget about her problems. It was among many things what she wanted to do, forget about him. And for some reason, she was starting to feel that way.

It was then when she understood why there were so many alcoholics in the world. The liquor really did help you forget about your problems, or at least feel numb. And that was exactly what she wanted to feel and remember.

Nothing.

She wanted to forget that Chris Keller ever even existed. She looked at the bottle and took a much bigger sip, this time finishing the bottle. Ignoring the burning in her throat and focusing on the warmth instead, she set the empty bottle on the table disappointed. She was disappointed because she could still remember him and she was already out of alcohol. She then remembered seeing a bar close to the motel.

She looked at herself in the mirror with a forced, pained smile.

"Let's feel number."

* * *

So, there you go... Any thoughts on the chappie? How predictable was it? I wanted to slap myself for doing the whole "Chris Keller as the cheating boyfriend" -storyline that seems to be popular in the Naley fanfic world. :) But try to bare with the predictableness (is that even a word??) and try to see the big picture. :)

So, what was good? Bad? And just out of curiosity, on a scale of 1-10, how predictable was it? I say 9 and a half. :)

-Fes-


	10. Betrayed Plus Boozed Equals Bruised

Hey, everyone. Thanks for all the reviews, please keep them coming. :) Hope you enjoy chapter 10.

* * *

Quote of the day: The O.C. 

Seth: I'm not self-absorbed, am I, Ryan?  
(Ryan looks away)  
Seth: Me? Me? Me?

* * *

**Chapter 10. Betrayed Plus Boozed Equals Bruised.**

Day 7, Nebraska.

_Dear diary, you're looking at a single woman. A single, hung over, woman. I know what you're thinking. Haley James hung over? What on earth?_

_See, it's very simple: Chris Keller cheated on me. _

_Actually, he didn't cheat on me, he was cheating on me. Cheating, as in doing it several times instead only that one time yesterday when I walked in on him. There he was some dumb, shirtless blonde on his lap. And he even had the nerve to say that he'd been doing it all along and that I was stupid for thinking we were exclusive._

_And I have to admit, he was partly right. I should've known better. Everyone told me to not trust Chris. Luke, Brooke, Quinn, the twins.. Even Nathan and he had never even met him before!_

_I was in a pretty bad shape yesterday after I found out about Chris. I was determined to not fall apart and start crying so I tried to keep it all to myself. But since I'm probably the most emotional person on the planet, you can imagine how well that went... _

_Not to even mention that I decided to start drinking too because I thought it would "numb the pain and help me forget about him". I know, I know. So stupid._

_So, needless to say I was a total mess last night. Too bad Nathan had to witness it all... I was afraid that I freaked him out but he's been really cool and supportive about everything. But I still made a complete fool out of myself in front of him. Here's what happened... (Insert a voiceover: Previously, on "The Diary of Haley James".) _

Haley looked at the bottle of vodka that had about 1/4 of the liquid left. _Just enough for few nice drinks_, Haley thought while twisting the cap open.

"To Chris." She muttered before taking a sip straight from the bottle.

After feeling the warmth of the alcohol spread in her body, (and the burning in her throat) she could feel herself relax a bit more and forget about her problems. It was among many things what she wanted to do, forget about him. And for some reason, she was starting to feel that way.

It was then when she understood why there were so many alcoholics in the world. The liquor really did help you forget about your problems, or at least feel numb. And that was exactly what she wanted to feel and remember.

Nothing.

She wanted to forget that Chris Keller ever even existed. She looked at the bottle and took a much bigger sip, this time finishing the bottle. Ignoring the burning in her throat and focusing on the warmth instead, she set the empty bottle on the table disappointed. She was disappointed because she could still remember him and she was already out of alcohol. She then remembered seeing a bar close to the motel.

She looked at herself in the mirror with a forced, pained smile.

"Let's feel number."

* * *

A while later there was a knock on Haley's motel room door. 

"Haley, it's me. Open up." Nathan said and knocked on the door while holding a pizza box on his other hand.

"I have food." He said knowing that she could never resist an offer of free food.

He knew she had said that she just wanted to sleep but something told him that he needed to check up on her.

After few more minutes of knocking and not hearing a sound, he finally tried the door handle and opened it when he found it unlocked.

"Haley?" he asked looking around curiously. When he didn't see her, He went to check the bathroom but it was empty just like he had predicted.

As he set the pizza box on the table, his eyes fell on something. An empty vodka bottle. _His_ empty vodka bottle.

"Shit!"

Nathan ran out of the room and stopped once he got outside. He ran his hand through his hair trying to figure out where she was. The car was still on the parking lot and he had the keys, so she couldn't be far. He had just been in the reception where he had had the pizza delivered so he knew she wasn't there.

He looked around trying to figure out where she might've gone.

His eyes then fell on a sleazy bar across the street. It had a 24-hour-open neon sign on the window.

"Bingo."

Nathan ran across the parking lot and the street. He opened the door of the bar and tried to look around but his eyes were still adjusting to the sudden darkness. Few seconds later his eyes fell on a small figure who was sitting alone, leaning on the counter heavily.

And that same person just slammed a shot down their throat.

"Haley?" Nathan asked walking quickly across the room.

"Yup?" she asked and ordered another shot from the bartender.

"Haley, what are you doing?" he asked standing next to her and looking at her worried.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting wasted." She slurred matter-of-factly.

"You don't get wasted. Ever. I'm the alcoholic asshole, remember? Not you."

"Well, now we can be alcoholic assholes together. How about that?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why am I doing this? Uh, lemme think." She said and paused. "What could have _possibly_ happened to make me want to get wasted? Any ideas? No? Here's one: getting cheated on!" She said practically yelling the last words.

"How many of those have you had?" he asked pointing at the shot glass she had just emptied.

"Will you stop with the questions?!" she snapped annoyed.

"How many?"

"Just one." Haley said and drank another shot she got from the bartender. "Correction: two."

Nathan looked at the bartender for confirmation. He held up five fingers.

"That's it, Hales. We're leaving." He said and took a hold of her hand.

"Let me go!" she yelled shaking her hand away from his. "Beer and another one of these!" she said waving the empty shot glass to the bartender. She looked around the room and spotted a jukebox on the corner.

"Music!" she squealed excited.

She got up to go put some music on but because she had been sitting the whole time when she had drank the shots, she hadn't really felt the complete impact of the alcohol yet. So, when she stood up, she almost fell back on the floor but managed to grab the table before doing so.

"Woah..." Nathan said getting up to catch her.

"I'm good, I'm good." She said and took the shot glass and the beer she had just ordered before making her way across the room to the jukebox.

"You're giving those for free?" Nathan asked from the bartender when he realized that Haley hadn't paid for any of her drinks.

"Open bar for her." The bartender said. "Compliments of the men in the corner." He said pointing at the back of the room where three men in their 50's and 60's were sitting... and they were grinning and drooling at Haley's direction.

"An open bar?" Nathan asked and turned to look at the bartender with a glare. "Close it." He said glaring at him as he gave him a five-dollar-bill. "And get me a beer. I don't think I can handle her sober."

"Coming right away."

After getting the beer he turned to look at where Haley had gone.

"My god..." he whispered in shock when he saw her by the jukebox, dancing on the pool table. It reminded him of that one scene in 'Sin City' where Jessica Alba's character was dancing slowly and seductively on a bar counter.

The three guys in the corner who obviously had no problem with getting drunk at 7 pm, were looking at Haley with lust filled eyes and wide grins.

"Uh, Hales?" Nathan asked as he quickly walked across the almost empty bar while glaring at the men's direction.

"Dance with me!" Haley said leaning over and reaching for Nathan's hands so she could help him up on the table.

"Naw, I don't think so." He said. "Come on, let's play a game." He said grabbing her from her hips and pulling her off of the table.

He set her carefully down right in front him so she was sitting on the pool table. Still holding her hips, he couldn't help but look at her chocolate brown eyes deeply. He couldn't believe how someone could be stupid enough to want to cheat on her. Her of all the people.

He suddenly got a strong desire to protect her from everyone else and keep her safe. He could easily understand why Lucas had been so content on making sure that Nathan would look after her.

"A game? A drinking game?" Haley asked slurring the words while being completely unaware of how close to Nathan she was being and how intensively he was looking at her.

To Nathan's disappointment she jumped down from the table and walked up to where her beer and shot glass was. She sat down on the chair, nearly falling on the floor again because of being so drunk.

Nathan looked at Haley, whose eyes were looking around the room slowly. She was swaying slowly from side to side and she had a stupid smirk on her face. She was obviously blastered and Nathan knew that if she drank anymore, she would probably get sick.

He saw her reaching for her beer slowly. Being the quicker (and the sober one), he quickly took it before she could reach for it and hid it behind some fake plant.

"Hey! Mine!" she said annoyed but then noticed that she still had a shot left. She grabbed the small glass.

"Why don't you give me that shot?" Nathan asked.

"My shot, my tequila, go away." She said holding it with both hands.

"Look, uh, a clown!" he said randomly and pointed his finger somewhere behind Haley.

She immediately turned around with a loud scream. Nathan grabbed the shot glass from her hands and poured the vodka on the fake plant before setting the glass back on the table.

"Haley, calm down." Nathan said when she still looked around with a freaked out face. Who'd known she'd react to clowns like that. _Poor thing must've had a rough childhood._ Nathan thought.

"There are no clowns." He said reassuringly.

"I. Fucking. Hate. Clowns." She said slowly as she looked around with a paranoid look, making sure there were in fact no clowns. She then turned to look at the table where her drinks had been.

"Where's the shot?"

"You already drank it." Nathan said pointing at the empty shot glass.

Haley looked at Nathan suspiciously but then nodded her head.

"Ok." She said looking at Nathan.

They were both quietly looking at each other. Haley was still slightly swaying from side to side, looking at him with a blank look. When she gave a small, sad sigh and looked down at her lap, Nathan knew she was thinking of Chris again.

"He's not worth it, Haley." Nathan said quietly.

"Worth what?"

"Worth this." Nathan said motioning at the empty shot glass. "He's not worth you getting drunk and feeling like shit tomorrow. He's not worth your tears or anything. He's nothing."

"I know." She said.

"Then why are you doing this?" he asked.

She looked at him with a surprisingly clear, sober look.

"Like you said, he's not worth of my tears and getting wasted is the only way I can keep those tears away. So, if I don't wanna cry I get drunk and feel numb but feel like shit the next day. Or I don't get drunk but cry. So, whatever the fuck I do, I always lose."

"You're right. He's not worth your tears. But you are."

"Huh?" she asked confused.

"It's OK to feel sad because it helps you heal and get over him. It's normal. You shouldn't feel like he would win no matter what, because the truth is that he's the one who's already lost. He lost you." Nathan said trying to make some sense to Haley.

"He's the loser, with the capital L, remember? So, just do what you have to do get over him and if you need me, I'm here."

Haley looked at Nathan and gave him a drunk, sad smile.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Anything for you, babe." Nathan smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "So, you ready to leave this shit hole and catch up on that sleep you're missing?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, let's go." She said getting up from her chair.

Just like before, she couldn't predict the way alcohol affected her but luckily for her, Nathan could, because right when she almost fell back on the floor, he caught her.

"Easy there..." Nathan said holding her close to him.

"Whoooops..." Haley said with a stupid grin while enjoying Nathan being close to her.

Nathan wrapped his other arm around her so he could keep her steady as she took hold of him by throwing her arm over his shoulders.

"Lemme help you." He said and started to walk them back to their motel.

"You know, you're really hot." She slurred with a stupid grin as they were leaving the bar, once again in a drunken mode.

"Is that so?" he grinned while enjoying the confessions of a drunken Haley.

"Oh, yeah. You're like the hottest guy I know. It's no wonder you get like hundreds of girls." She said leaning on him heavily.

"I think you're exaggerating a bit." He said smiling.

"Damn, you're ripped." She said suddenly while poking his bicep as Nathan burst out laughing.

"Man, I'm gonna have so much fun tomorrow." He said laughing.

"I don't feel so good..." she mumbled under her breath when she started to feel the complete effect of the tequila in her small body.

"Yeah, I know but try to hang in there." Nathan said. "We're almost there." He said as he got in front of her motel door.

Somehow managing to open the door and not drop Haley, they walked inside her motel room. Nathan set Haley on her bed and went to close the door.

"So, do you need anything before I go back to my room? Some water? Some food?" Nathan asked and pointed at the table where the cold pizza was. "There's some-"

"PIZZA!" she suddenly screamed when she saw the pizza box on the table.

"My god!" Nathan said holding his ears when he heard her high pitched scream. "Hungry much?"

"So good..." she mumbled while shuffling the cold food down her throat.

"Yeah, I can see that." He said. "So, I think I'm gonna let you get some sleep..." he said.

"Yeah, whatever, ok." She mumbled her mouth full of food.

"Good night, Haley." He said.

"Good night, Nath-"

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked when she suddenly stopped in mid sentence.

She suddenly turned green and covered her mouth with her hands. A second later she had already gotten up, ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

Nathan sighed as he heard Haley emptying her stomach into the toilet. He was sad that she was feeling so sick but also glad that she was getting some of the alcohol out of her system. He wasn't really sure if he should leave her alone or stay until she was feeling better. After deciding to stay to make sure she was ok, he turned the TV on and started to flip through the channels.

Haley had never felt worse in her entire life. She was hugging the toilet seat hard as she emptied her stomach. She had obviously drank too much, so much that it felt like her stomach was doing flip flops on its own but even in her drunken state, she realized that she wasn't only reacting to the alcohol.

She was reacting to Chris.

The mere thought of him made her want to throw up. So, it really didn't help that she couldn't stop seeing the flashbacks of Chris in her head. It was as if her subconscious was showing her every single piece of memory she had of him. She wasn't sure why, but she hoped that it was like a cleansing ritual, something that would help her get over him.

And yet, she still refused to cry. But it was starting to get harder and harder...

Hugging the toilet seat, she soon felt like most of the alcohol was out of her body. She got up and washed her face while avoiding looking at herself in the mirror. Because of the terrible taste in her mouth which almost made her want to throw up all over again, she took her tooth brush and tooth paste and started to brush her teeth furiously.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face again, she finally got the courage to look at herself in the mirror. As soon as she saw her sad, miserable, drunk face, it all finally hit her.

_She had been cheated on._

It took her all about 2 seconds to burst out crying and collapse on the floor.

Still watching ESPN, Nathan looked at the bathroom curiously. He hadn't heard any sounds since he had heard her flush the toilet and brush her teeth. He turned the TV off and tried to listen to any sounds coming from the bathroom. He could only hear some muffled sounds but didn't know what they were.

He stood up and walked slowly to the bathroom.

"Hales?" Nathan asked as he knocked lightly on the door. "You ok?"

He opened the door slowly and felt his heart drop when he saw her. She was sitting on the floor, leaning on the wall behind her and hugging her knees as she hid her face in her hands, trying to muffle the body wrecking sobs that she couldn't keep inside any more.

He slowly walked up to her and without a word, leaned over and picked her up. He carried her to her bed, covered her with the blankets and wiped a few loose strands of hair from her face.

"It's gonna be ok." He whispered and kept stroking her hair.

After few more hours of sobbing, Haley finally fell asleep. Nathan got up from the side of the bed where he had been sitting the entire time. Looking at her cry for two hours had given him plenty of time to think. And plot revenge.

The second he had seen Haley crying in the bathroom, he had gotten the sudden urge to beat the living daylight out of Chris Keller. After watching her sob for two more hours, he was more than determined to do something about it. Making sure he didn't wake her up, he grabbed his car keys and left the room.

Chris Keller was about the know the text book meaning of pain.

* * *

The next morning... 

Haley woke up to the rays of sunlight on her eyes. Almost blinding her, she tried to adjust to the light and the throbbing headache inside her head that felt like someone played bongo drums.

"Oh, man..." she whined as she held her head in pain keeping her eyes closed.

"You ok?"

Haley looked at the other side of the room where Nathan was sitting on an armchair.

"My head feels like there's a huge elephant sitting on it. And based on the way that I smell, the elephant must've done something else than just _sat_ on it." she said while smelling her shirt that she had worn to the bar the previous night.

"You okay?" he asked referring to Chris.

"No." she said sadly. "But I'm better." she finished and gave him a weak smile. When the limp in her throat started to rise, she coughed quickly.

"Jesus, I feel like shit." She said changing the subject, letting Nathan know that she didn't want to talk about Chris Keller.

"No wonder after some vodka straight from the bottle and five tequila shots."

"What? Where did I get tequila?" she asked confused.

"The bar across the street."

"Oh yeah..." she said when it finally started to come back to her. "I distinctly remember being there and drinking and- OH MY GOD! Please, tell me I didn't dance on a pool table." She said looking at him mortified.

"So, you want me to lie?" he asked with a grin and laughed as Haley groaned in embarrassment and fell back on the bed.

"It's okay, only like three 50-year-olds saw you and they thought you looked very hot."

"My god..." she said. "What else did I do? Actually, no, don't tell me. I don't wanna know. If don't remember it, it's like it didn't happen." She said.

"The rules of denial."

"Exactly." She said.

"Ok, I'll keep my mouth shut..." he said but then looked at her mischievously. He suddenly flexed his bicep and kissed it. "You like?"

First Haley looked at him confused but then mortified when she remembered what she had said about his looks.

"Oh my god... You need to forget everything about last night! Everything!" she said.

"Even the moment when you said that you think I'm the hottest person alive?"

"Shut up!" she said covering her face embarrassed.

"Calm down, you're hot too. I promise I won't make fun anymore." He said. "But we do gotta go now. It's almost noon." He said.

"I seriously need a shower." She said.

Nathan handed her a towel that was drying on the back of the chair. She reached to grab it from him but her eyes fell on something else.

"What happened?" she asked as she saw his bruised knuckles. Nathan quickly hid his hand behind his back.

"Oh, nothing. Just basketball, you know." He said.

Haley looked at him suspiciously but let the subject drop. She took the towel from him.

"So, take your time. I'll wait in the car." Nathan said and left the room.

_And here I am, sitting in the car on our way as far away from Nebraska, and Chris Keller, as possible. Nathan's been pretty weird ever since I asked about his hands. I'm pretty sure his hands were fine yesterday but he told me that he just stayed in my room the whole night... Oh, well. I'm sure it's nothing serious. _

_Yay! We're stopping for food. Gotta go._

"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." Haley said as she closed her diary and put it in her purse. "Which is kinda weird since I ate pizza last night."

"Which you threw up." Nathan said.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Haley said crunching her nose disgusted. "Ooh, Wendy's!"

"Junk food is the best for hung over." Nathan said as they got out of the car and walked inside the fast food place.

"Oh, man. I could eat like the whole menu." She mumbled as she tried to think of what to eat.

There were a couple of girls in front of them on the line and Nathan and Haley couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"... you remember Mandy? The one who works as an intern at the hotel by the University? Anyways, I ran into her like an hour ago and guess what she told me?!" the blonde girl told her brunette friend.

"Yeah?"

"She said that Chris Keller and his entourage stayed at the hotel last night!"

"What? Oh my god! My sister got the tickets to last night's concert and I was so mad when she decided to take her boyfriend instead of me. So, did Mandy see him? Get to talk to him?" the brunette asked.

"No, but she did see Chris Keller this morning and guess what! He had a black eye and broken nose!"

"What?" Haley asked loudly from the girls who turned to look at her.

"Yeah, how frigging weird is that! Apparently someone had like beaten him up or something! And when my friend asked if he was okay and if she should call the cops, he just said that he had fell playing basketball or something. But there's no basketball court at the hotel!" the blonde said.

The girls turned to give their orders.

"Can you believe that?" Haley asked from Nathan who was looking at the floor uncomfortably.

"Yeah, amazing huh." He mumbled.

Haley looked at Nathan for a while before looking at his knuckles again. She gasped as the realization finally hit her.

"Oh my god, it was you!" she said looking at Nathan who quickly looked around to make sure no one heard them.

"You went to his hotel and beat him up." Haley said.

"So? He totally deserved it!" he said defensively. "No one messes with you and gets away with it." He muttered.

Nathan looked at her closely, trying to figure out whether she was mad or happy. Suddenly her eyes watered and she sniffed loudly.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." She said and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

He breathed out a sigh of relief and hugged her back happily.

"Hey, it's the least I could do." He said.

Haley took a step back and looked at him in the eyes before giving him a small, lingering kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." She said in a quiet, sincere voice that caught Nathan off guard.

He had never seen Haley so open, so vulnerable and honest. He swallowed deeply and was about to say something, but as always, they got interrupted.

"Next!"

Haley turned to look at the impatient woman behind the counter. She let go of Nathan while blushing and turned to look at the woman.

"Yeah, can I have number four and six with extra cheese and large fries. One milkshake and a piece of apple pie. Oh! And onion rings." She said.

"Will that be all for you guys today?" the woman asked looking at Nathan and Haley.

Haley looked at the woman and let out a loud laugh. She looked at Haley with raised eyebrows like she was crazy.

"Oh, honey. That was just my order. Nathan, what do you want?" she asked turning to look at Nathan, who was touching his cheek lightly with a smile. He quickly folded his hands over his chest when Haley looked at him.

"Jesus, hung over much?" Nathan asked with a grin. "I'll have what she's having." He said to the woman as she shook her head slightly and mumbled something about heart attacks under her breath.

"Thank you." Haley said to Nathan as they waited for their food.

"For what?"

"For beating up Chris. I owe you." She said.

"He totally deserved it."

"True, but I still owe you."

"Okay. If I ever need you to bitch slap and cat fight some girl, I'll let you know." He said with a grin.

"Deal." She said and bumped her fist against his.

"And we should also discuss your cat fight outfit. See, I'm thinking a string bikini and mud."

"You're so disgusting." Haley said laughing as she accepted the bags of food from the woman. She handed the other one to Nathan.

"Ready for our deliciously unhealthy, little snack?"

* * *

So, thoughts on the chappie:) 

-Fes-


	11. Speed, My ADDFriend, Speed

Hey, everyone. Thanks for the reviews, you are awesome! Please keep them coming and I hope you enjoy chapter 11.

* * *

Quote of the day: Malcolm in the Middle 

Lois: (about her parents): But at least we can be happy when they're gone.  
Malcolm: You mean when they drive back to Alaska?  
Lois: Yeah. That's what I meant.

* * *

**Chapter 11. Speed, My ADD-Friend, Speed.**

Day 7

_We're in Denver, Colorado. It's day 7 of our road trip and against all odds, we're both still alive and actually enjoying the trip. _

_Today Nathan and I were on the road for almost seven hours and for once, most of it was done in silence. He knew I needed my space, peace and quiet. I needed to think things through and boy, did I just do that today._

_See dear diary, I've had a long couple of days. Yesterday I went from being Chris Keller's girlfriend to the cheated ex-girlfriend. After that I tried to drown my sorrows by drinking lots and lots of tequila. Then I made a fool out of myself in front of Nathan and this morning I had the hangover of the century. Now, 7 hours later after waking up, I'm finally starting to get over it._

_Get over Chris or the hangover? _

_Both, I hope. It still makes me sick to even think about him and the hangover sure isn't helping. But all in all, I'm getting over him more quickly than I thought I could. I mean, it's not like we were spending that much time together to begin with and now I realize that what I thought was love between us, was only loyalty and trust. And even that was only from my part._

_It still hurts to think what he did but it doesn't hurt nearly as much as the fact that I was so naive. I can't believe that I, the one who's supposed to be the smart girl, could be fooled so easily. _

_But luckily Chris didn't ruin me for good. I still believe in true love. Even more than before. I refuse to think that it doesn't exist. But now I know to be more cautious and not trust everything everyone says... Not everyone can be trusted, especially scumbags like Chris fucking Keller._

_Did I mention how awesome Nathan's being? I swear to god, I wanna kiss him for being so sweet. First of all, he took care of me last night after I found out about Chris Keller and also when he found me blastered in some sleazy road side bar. And after carrying me to my bed after I had my breakdown, he went and kicked Chris Keller's ass! Literally! He gave him a black guy and a broken nose. I told him it was the sweetest thing anyone has even done for me and I meant it._

_I'm really starting to see the real Nathan and I almost feel guilty for not getting to know him in high school. I think we could've been really good friends... or something. Anyways, Matt just called... We're meeting him tomorrow once we get to Utah. Can't wait! _

_We're in some random motel close to the downtown of Denver. I'm dead tired from all the sleepless and restless nights so I've gladly decided to skip the Denver night life scene and catch up on my well needed sleep. Nite, nite..._

Haley set the diary in her purse and covered herself with the blankets. She slept 14 hours that night.

Day 8.

"Favorite book, nerd?"

"Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None'. I would ask you the same but I know that the only thing you read is the sports pages, jock. So, favorite holiday?"

"My birthday. Which is in 10 months. June 3rd. You're welcome to start planning what to get me. Remember, June 3rd. I accept checks. And gift cards. Booze is always appreciated. And hooker-"

"Moving on..."

"Fine, favorite candy?"

"Skitt-"

"JUNE THIRD!"

"-les. I'm ignoring your stupid ass comment, by the way. Favorite clothing store?

"Abercrombie. Favorite piece of clothing? And please let it be your tiny, sexy Victoria's Secret see-through bra and thong that you definitely wanna show me?"

"Sorry, but the answer is what I'm wearing now. Sweat pants and a top. Comfort comes first. Favorite non-basketball sport… you little perv?"

"I only like basketball but I guess if I had to choose some other sport than maybe soccer. Or hockey. Golf. Tenn- I don't know! They all suck! Favorite movie?"

"Notebook. Favorite TV-show?"

"Prison Break."

"Mine too!"

"Yeah right."

"It is."

"Sure."

"Fine, it's the Bachelor. But I do watch Prison Break."

"Uhhuh."

"Moving on!"

"Favorite color?"

"What are you, in second grade, Nathan?"

"Just trying to ask easy questions."

"I don't have a favorite color, unlike you Mr. Color-Coordinated."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look at what you're wearing! Baby blue sweat shirt and matching shorts."

"Oh, shut up. Favorite food?"

"Mac and Cheese. Favo-"

"Oh, who's the second grader now?"

"What, you don't like Mac & Cheese?"

"It's overrated."

"It's pasta and cheese, Nathan."

"So?"

"So, who does _not_ like pasta and cheese?"

"I just don't think it tastes that good."

"What?! Well, you obviously have only eaten the shitty types. I'll cook you some time from scratch and prove you wrong."

"It's a date."

"No, it's not."

"Sure, it is, Haley. You're cooking, we're eating. Sounds like a date to me."

"Um... Whatever."

"Yeah. Um... New question!"

"Fine, what _is_ your favorite food? Since you don't like pasta or cheese, you freak..."

"Meat."

"Could you be more of a guy?"

"Do I have to?"

"Next question."

"Favorite fish?"

"What kind of a question is that, Nathan?"

"The kind that you ask after two hours of asking questions."

"True... Wanna play a new game?"

"How about _no_ game?"

"What? That's no fun. You wanna add 'a bore' to your list of 'freak' and 'perv'?"

"You wanna add 'a hitchhiker' to your list of 'sarcastic' and 'loud'?"

Silence.

"Touché." Haley said and looked at Nathan with a smile before reaching out to play with the radio.

It was Thursday, the 8th day of their road trip and as always, they were on the road.

After finally getting on the road around 1 am, they had been playing at least three different games after finally settling on just asking questions from the other. They had been on the road for almost five hours now.

For anyone else, 5 hours might seem like a long time in a car but Nathan and Haley had learned to deal with it. They listened to music, talked about school and home and everything possible. Haley told Nathan random tidbits she knew (_Did you know that Utah's state bird is a California Seagull_?) while Nathan concentrated on making fun of cars that were uglier than his (_Dude, did you see the ugly ass painting that shithole had?)_.

The day had been very easy, mellow and relaxed which was exactly what Haley had needed after her stress-filled couple of days. She was slowly but surely getting over Chris. Nathan had done his best to keep her positive and was luckily succeeding. She was back to being her snappy, happy self. Sure, she was still hurt but she didn't let it control her life.

"How can you have so much energy?" Nathan asked yawning.

She was sitting on the passenger side, letting her bare feet rest on the dashboard as she tapped her fingers to the sound of the music against her legs.

"Must be the 14-hour-sleep." Haley said and then added something under her breath. "And the 4 cups of coffee."

"You're crazy." He said laughing.

"Just a bit ADD." She said with a smirk as she finally chose a radio channel.

_We've been on the run_

_Driving in the sun_

_Looking out for number one_

_California, here we come_

"Oh, my god!" Haley squealed and clapped her hands together excitedly.

"What?"

"Listen to the song!" Haley yelled.

After listening it for few seconds, Nathan looked at Haley in confusion.

"It's the O.C. song, so what?"

"Listen to the lyrics! That's like totally our song!" Haley said excited and turned the volume to the maximum.

_California, California,_

_Here we come_

"Get it? We're going to California too!"

"Okay, so it may be pretty suiting-" Nathan said but got cut off by Haley's loud, off-tune singing.

"Californiaaaaaa..."

"My god..." Nathan said laughing.

"Come on, stop laughing and sing with me!" she yelled over the music.

"I can't sing."

"Neither do I and yet I'm still doing it. Californiaaaaaa..."

"You really don't want me to hear me sing."

"Like I care, Californiaaaaaa... Californiaaaaa... CALIFORNIAA!"

Nathan looked at her like she was crazy but finally opened his mouth and sang the song quietly with her.

Having so much fun laughing with her, he never noticed pressing the gas pedal a bit harder. Having already driven over the speed limit, it didn't take long until they saw the flashing lights of a police car behind them.

"Shit!" Nathan cursed as he turned the radio off and slowed down. He pulled over to the side of the road, still cursing loudly.

"Dammit..." Haley said and turned around to see a young, hansom police officer step out of the car.

Haley suddenly started to grin widely.

"Why are you smiling?!" Nathan hissed as he pressed the button to open the window.

"Relax... Let me handle this." She said and opened the door and stepped outside.

"Wait! What are you doing? You're not supposed to get out!" Nathan said and looked at the cop nervously.

"Calm down, it's gonna be ok." She said through the open window and started to walk towards the cop. Nathan sighed and got out of the car also.

"Ma'am! Sir! Please, stay in the car." The cop said to them.

"Oh, come on, officer. It's such a pretty day outside." Haley said laughing.

"Get back in the car!" the cop said with a very stern look and put his hand on top of his gun holster.

"Dude, relax." Haley said and almost burst out laughing at the horrified look Nathan gave her. He was certain she was going to get them arrested.

"In the car! Now!" he yelled while pouting his lips tightly in a stern manner.

"Or what? You're gonna beat up a girl? Kick my ass and twist my hands?" Haley asked sarcastically and smiled even wider when Nathan shook his head mortified. He was _so_ gonna get arrested.

"What?" the cop asked almost laughing but still keeping the straight face as Haley walked closer to him.

"Listen up, _donut boy_." Haley said while poking him in the chest which made the cop grin. "You couldn't kick my ass 10 years ago, so what makes today any different?" Haley asked and grinned widely at the cop.

"Huh?" Nathan asked confused. His mouth opened in shock when Haley jumped up to hug the man tightly.

"I see you haven't lost your sarcasm, sis."

"Never. Good to see you, Matt."

"But 'donut boy'? Kinda harsh, Hales." Matt said.

"Wait, _what_?" Nathan asked more confused than ever.

"Nathan, meet my oldest brother Matt. Matt, this is my friend and road trip buddy, Nathan."

The guys exchanged hand shakes and nods.

"You do that little show to all the strangers?" Nathan asked referring to before.

"Sometimes... Keeps things interesting." Matt said with a wink to his sister.

"So, are we gonna spend the whole night here on the road or are you actually gonna take us to a dinner like you promised?" Haley asked.

"There's a nice Italian restaurant about five miles from here. Just follow me." He said. "Hales, you're driving with me." he added when she started to automatically walk towards Nathan's SUV.

Haley looked at Nathan with raised eyebrows.

"Go ahead. I'll be right behind you." He said reassuringly.

"Yeah, I know but..." she said quieting down.

"But what?" Nathan asked quietly.

"Oh, nothing. It's stupid..." she said.

"No, tell me." He said.

"It's just... It just feels weird, you know. It's been a week and like 2500 miles... I guess I've just gotten used to driving with you." Haley admitted.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He said. "It's just for few miles. And you should spend all the time with your brother."

"Yeah..." Haley said half disappointed and half embarrassed for making such a big deal about something so insignificant.

"Just remember that we still have like 800 miles left. You'll have plenty of time to get sick of me."

"Too late." She said and winked before following her brother.

"So, what was that about?" Matt asked once she sat inside the police car and buckled up.

"What was what?" she asked innocently as they got back on the road.

"Don't play innocent. I'm a cop. I can tell." Matt said with a half grin.

"Nathan and I are just friends!" she suddenly yelled startling Matt.

"Okay. Good to know... Not that I even asked but good to know." He said grinning.

"Oh, shut up." Haley said smiling. "I know you've already talked to Quinn and the twins and they've gotten your head all messed up."

"Nope, not really." He said and looked at Haley concerned. "I'm really sorry about what happened with Chris."

"Thanks." She said quietly. "But I'm good. Really. I mean, yeah, I'm pissed and sad that he cheated on me but I'm getting over it. Better than I thought actually." She said.

"You've always been strong." He said.

"I kinda had to... Considering who I grew up with."

"Hey!" Matt said while laughing. "We taught you tough!"

"You sure did." She said with a smile.

"So, how the hell did you know it was our car you stopped?" Haley asked after few minutes of silence.

"Just a lucky guess." He said grinning as Haley looked at him suspiciously.

"You checked his car from the DMV, right?"

"And his record."

"What?" Haley asked. "Nosy much?"

"Protective much." He answered seriously.

"Look, I already went through all of this with the twins. Nathan's a good guy and I'm a smart girl. I'll be fine."

"We know. Just making sure..." he said as he pulled over in front of a nice looking restaurant, Nathan right behind them.

Haley gave Nathan a smile which didn't go unnoticed by Matt, as they walked to the restaurant.

The dinner went surprisingly well even though Matt kept harassing and trying to "profile" Nathan by asking the most random questions such as 'if you could save only one of your parents, which one would it be' or 'if you had to choose between being paralyzed or blind, which one would it be'...

Nathan wasn't sure what Matt thought of him, especially after he answered 'being rich, successful and staying hot' as his goals in future.

After saying their goodbyes, Nathan and Haley got back on the road with the goal of getting as close to Las Vegas as possible. They were still in Utah so they had long ways of going but neither minded the driving.

After about an hour of driving and light, relaxing conversation, they both noticed the change in the nature. Gone were the dusty, gray highways. There were trees, lakes and real nature around them.

"Welcome to the national forests..." Nathan mumbled as they looked around in awe.

"Wow..." Haley said under her breath while breathing in the fresh air.

"It's just so surreal..." Nathan said but turned to look at Haley concerned.

"Did that sound gay?"

Haley looked at Nathan and burst out laughing.

"No, it sounded very smart. I mean, look around. It is gorgeous!" she said and they both concentrated on the nature around them again.

Throughout the trip and amongst all the bickering, talking, getting to know each other and supporting when times were tough, neither had really paid attention to the actual road trip. Neither had realized how lucky they were to get to explore their country more. So many people always talked about doing a road trip across the nation and visiting states and places they'd never been to, but so few did it.

They had been to New York City, Chicago, Denver and they still had Las Vegas before their final destination of Los Angeles. They had seen the skyscrapers in NYC, the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, the cornfields in Iowa, the mountains in Colorado and now the national forests.

Haley not being used to traveling that much, took in everything around her. She couldn't believe how much she had gone through and seen just in the past 8 days.

"We should probably call it a night soon..." Nathan said after a while of driving in silence.

"Yeah, I agree. It's already dark outside and I haven't seen a motel, gas station or any sign of civilization in almost an hour." Haley said digging her cell phone out of her purse. "And there's no cell service. Jesus, which exit did you take?" she asked joking.

"No need for cell phones in the nature, darlin'." Nathan said in a deep southern cowboy accent. "You're supposed to go rural, sleep on the ground, eat berries, find your inner self while battling the bears and the snakes."

"There are no snakes or bears here, right? Right? _Right?!_" Haley asked in a panicked voice while looking into the darkness around them.

"Sure there are, gorgeous. And spiders and bats and lizards and dragons." Nathan said with the same accent.

"Dragons? So, what does that make you? My knight in shining armor?" Haley asked with a smile.

"As long as you're the damsel in distress." He said matching her grin.

"Great..." Haley said. "You know, that's a pretty old fashioned way of thinki-"

Haley got cut off by a loud banging sound and the sudden swerve of the car.

Nathan hit the breaks hard until the car stopped. There was a short silence and he turned to look at Haley worried. She was holding on to the dashboard with a death grip while remembering being in the same situation about a week earlier when Nathan had fallen asleep on the wheel.

Haley looked at Nathan with a glare.

"Are you trying to kill me?! _Again_?!"

Nathan quickly unbuckled and jumped outside while mumbling something incoherent under his breath.

"Dammit!" he yelled once he got outside.

Haley quickly hopped outside and looked at Nathan who had sat down with a defeated look next to the front tire. The _flat_ front tire.

"Flat? So, all we need is a spare tire." Haley said.

"That _is_ the spare tire." Nathan said.

"You're kidding, right... Please, tell me you're kidding."

Nathan stared at Haley without saying anything.

"Oh my god..." Haley said with a shaky voice as she slowly sat down next to Nathan as they both leaned their backs against the car.

"Come on, it's gonna be ok." Nathan said reassuringly.

"What?! We're in the middle of a national forest!" Haley said in a high, loud voice.

"Calm dow-" Nathan tried but she was having a rant.

"We have no food, no water, no spare tire! It's been forever since we've seen a motel or gas station! Jesus, I haven't seen a house in hours!" She yelled having a panic attack.

"Come on, how bad can it be?" Nathan said surprised by how strongly Haley was reacting. Usually she was very calm and smart in the times of crises.

"Bad? _Bad_?! Nathan, BAD?! More like disastrous! We're gonna get eaten by a bear or a snake or a lizard or a FRIGGING dragon! There are monsters out there! Or have you not seen Harry Potter?! Oh my god, I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die and never have my own family and kids and a real job and great, now I'm hyperventilating." She said breathing deeply.

"Hey, calm down. It's gonna be ok." Nathan said throwing his hand around her shoulders and pulling her against him while rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder.

"You promise?" she asked weakly after calming down a bit.

"Yeah, of course. I have a plan."

"Yeah?" she asked and smiled at him proudly. He _really_ was her knight in shining armor.

"Of course, babe. We'll be out of here in minutes. We'll just call Triple A and-"

"That's your plan?" Haley asked her voice starting to shake a bit again.

"Um, yeah?" he asked and looked at her worried when she went pale.

She took a deep breath when she felt another wave of panic attacks coming. She looked at him with a tight, forced smile.

"Sounds great and all except, for a tiny little detail... You see, as we already established, THERE'S NO FUCKING CELL SERVICE!" she screamed in a high, loud voice, once again in a full panic mode.

"Oh my god..." he mumbled as he held his ear in pain.

"Sorry..." she said weakly. "But we're gonna die. I knew you were the death of me Nathan Scott. We're gonna die." She said hugging her knees and swaying slightly back and forth.

"Come on, it's gonna be fine. We do have some food and I'm sure there will be cars driving by and even if not, we can always sleep in the car." He said desperately looking around to find something to calm her down while Haley mumbled something about wanting to have her funeral in Tree Hill.

"And look around, Hales. Luckily we're in some sort of a small semi-camping area." He said. "Look, there's a picnic table and a fireplace and I think I see a Port-a-Potty. You don't even have to pee in the woods."

Haley immediately lifted her head and looked around hopefully.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. See? It's gonna be ok." He said getting up. "Come on, let's go check out the place." He said and helped her up.

"You were right, Nathan..." Haley said as they turned the head lights of the car on so it lid up the place. "It's like a tiny camping area only there are no campers."

"Except us." Nathan said trying to see into the distance. "Oh my god!"

"What? What? A bear? A snake? WHAT?!" Haley yelled.

"No, a lake!" he said walking fast forward while pointing into the distance.

"Huh?" she asked confused but followed him quickly.

"Look." He said once they got to a huge, dark looking lake.

"So? It's a lake. It's not like we can swim to get help." Haley said.

"No, but we can have fun. Come on! I know you have a swimming suit." He said with a wink when he remembered the tiny, red bikini she had worn when she had sun bathed on her brothers' back yard in Iowa.

"What does my bikini have to do with the lake? Because there's no way I'm getting in there." She said pointing at the lake.

"Come on, don't be so dull." He said and started to walk back to his car to get his swimming shorts.

"Nathan! You can't be serious! Did you not look at the lake? It's dark, dangerous and totally disgusting! And I'm pretty sure I just saw the Loch Ness monster in there." Haley said to Nathan who had just opened the trunk and was in the middle of going through his bags.

"Live a little, James."

"And die a lot? No thanks." Haley said crossing her hands over her chest. "I fucking hate camping!" she declared.

Nathan looked at her when he found his shorts and towel.

"Fine, you wanna add a 'bore' to your list of 'bitchy' and 'moody'?" He said leaving the trunk open for her and starting to leave while muttering under his breath. "And after tonight I can definitely add 'paranoid' and 'psychotic'."

"Nathan! You can't leave me here!" she yelled after him.

"So, join me!" he yelled without stopping or turning around.

Haley looked in annoyance as he walked away. Soon, she heard a splash in the water knowing that he had just jumped in the lake.

Haley looked around while hugging herself. She heard a tweak or a caw or something, probably her own foot steps, but it freaked her out nevertheless.

"I hate camping!" she yelled.

She took a deep breath and started to change into her bikini while mumbling something R-rated under her breath.

"Damn you, Nathan, for getting me killed in the goddamn woods in the middle of the goddamn nowhere..." she muttered while walking fast towards the lake.

She walked up to the wooden platform that had a set of stairs at the end of it that disappeared in the water.

"Yeah, like that's not totally creepy." She said sarcastically and set her towel next to Nathan's on the platform. She looked down at the calm water but could only see her own reflection.

"Nathan?" Haley hissed when she didn't see him. "Nathan!"

Again no answer or sight of him.

"I will so kick your ass if you have already drowned and left me alone with the bears..." she muttered.

"Booyakasha!" Nathan yelled somewhere behind her. Haley turned around with a scream only to find Nathan running full speed towards her. He picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and jumped in the water, and he did that all faster than Haley could say 'I hate camping'.

"Nathan!" she screamed once she hit the surface. Shivering in the cold water, her wet hair on her face, she screamed in anger. "I fucking hate camping!"

"Oh, come on... Chill." Nathan said behind her. Haley swam around to face him with a glare.

"That was not funny." Haley said.

"You should have seen your face." Nathan said with a grin.

"Oh, but it's so much more fun to see yours... after I give you a black eye!" she said holding her other fist in the air while dog paddling furiously with the other to keep herself from drowning.

"Jeez, calm down, woman." Nathan said.

"Fine. I just really hate-"

"Camping, yeah I know." Nathan said with a smile which earned a smile from her too.

"And swimming and water and everything related to that." She mumbled under her breath.

"You wanna go back?" Nathan asked. "If you want, we can." He said seriously not wanting to force Haley if she really didn't want to. Haley smiled at him thankfully.

"Sure, we can go back... Right after I dunk you!" she yelled with a laugh and dunked the unexpecting Nathan under the water while trying to swim away as fast as possible.

Too bad her dog paddling wasn't fast enough because soon after Nathan was right behind her dunking her under the water. Haley pulled Nathan under water also and they both got up to breathe in air at the same time. Immediately after, with matching grins, they both started to tackle and dunk the other as much as possible.

A while later, in the midst of fighting and trying to dunk Nathan by pushing his head down while he hold her by her waist to keep her away, Haley realized just how physically close they were. And how much she was enjoying it.

Slowly, they both stopped the screaming, laughing and playing. Nathan let her fall a bit lower on his arms until they were face to face. His arms wrapped around her waist, Haley let her hands rest on his shoulders.

Enjoying the almost complete darkness and quiet of the nature, they both just stared at the other with a deep, passionate look while forgetting everyone and everything around them. Slowly, the distance between their heads narrowed and they both automatically tilted their heads. They were so close to each other that they could easily feel the other's heart pounding and their heavy breathing on their face.

As they closed their eyes, Nathan closed the gap between their mouths but as soon as their lips touched, they heard a loud roar somewhere in the distance. Their heads snapped towards the noise but neither saw anything.

"What the hell was that?" Haley asked with a shaky voice, partly because of being scared but mostly because of trying to calm herself down from the moment they had just had.

Her stomach was doing flip flops from all the butterflies and her hands were shaking slightly around him.

They turned to look at each other still hoping to continue where they had left, but knowing that the moment was gone. Haley looked at Nathan with an uncomfortable look, not really knowing what to do next.

"Sorry 'bout that." Nathan mumbled.

"Don't worry about it." she muttered while avoiding looking at him.

Nathan, also being incredibly disappointed that the moment was gone, cleared his throat while trying to think of a way to end the uncomfortable silence.

"Still scared of the monsters?" he asked with a small grin.

"I think they're more scared of us." Haley said and they both laughed first uncomfortably but then more naturally.

"So..." Nathan said. "Maybe we should head back to the car."

"Yeah, before the Loch Ness monster decides it's hungry." Haley said as they swam to the end of the platform where the stairs were.

To Nathan's fortune, Haley was the first to climb out of the water, giving him a wonderfully close view of her butt. Haley wrapped her towel around herself and reached to grab Nathan's. As she turned around to hand it to him, he was in the middle of climbing the stairs. And boy did he look good being all shirtless and wet. Haley bit her lower lip as he took the towel from her.

"How ya doin'?" Nathan said in a deep New Yorker accent and giving her the nod which made Haley burst into a loud, happy laughter.

As they started to walk back to the car she bumped her shoulder against his in a friendly manner because that's what they were, _friends_. Haley's smile turned into a slight frown at the thought of that.

She was so confused about her thoughts and feelings. All she knew was that even though she had caught red handed her cheating s-o-b of an ex-boyfriend only few days before, in her mind Chris Keller was just a distantly familiar annoying little punk who she couldn't care less. She could barely even remember his face or name. And it was all because of Nathan.

For some reason she couldn't stop thinking of Nathan and lately she had started to seriously think that she didn't _want_ to stop thinking of him. She tried to tell herself that it was only because they had spent every waking moment for the past 8 days together but even she wasn't naive enough to believe that for too long.

"Is it me or did the temperature just drop like 20 degrees?" Haley asked shivering once they made it back to the car.

They both looked at each other quickly, knowing that the only reason they had been warm before was because they had been on each other's arms.

Nathan coughed uncomfortably.

"Yeah, it must be the Utah night weather... Getting cold and all… Freezing nights and stuff..." he mumbled while opening the trunk and taking a change of clothes from the back.

Haley looked around while holding her clothes trying to think where she could change. She looked at Nathan.

"So, um... Can you like turn around so I can change? I'd go to the woods but they kinda creep me out." She mumbled.

"Yeah sure..." he said and walked to the other side of the car and turned so his back was towards her.

Haley did the same and quickly untied her bikini. She hurriedly changed into a pair of comfortable sweat pants and a t-shirt. She turned around to look at Nathan who had just finished a putting a sweatshirt and pair of shorts on. He turned around to look at her.

"So, now what?" Nathan asked.

Still staring at him, Haley wondered whether Nathan meant them or the fact that they were stranded on the side of the road.

"Umh, I guess we should decide what to do about getting out of here." Haley said while hanging her bikini on a tree branch to dry.

"Yeah..." Nathan said and hopped to sit on the hood of the car as Haley followed his lead.

"The way I see is that we have two choices, either try to walk somewhere to get help or stay here until the morning when there are probably more people and light." Haley said pulling her legs up to hug her knees. "What time is it anyways?"

"Like 9.30, maybe 10 pm." Nathan answered. "It's kinda late and not to even mention dark. Maybe we should just stay here. We don't know how far we are from the rest of the civilization."

"Yeah, I agree." Haley said and leaned down so that she was fully lying on the hood of the car. "And the woods completely freak me out." She added quietly.

"It's gonna be ok, don't worry."

"Yeah, I know." She whispered as Nathan also laid down on the car.

They both just stared at the sky and the stars without saying anything but still knowing exactly what the other was thinking, because it was the exact same thing they were thinking themselves.

_The kiss_.

Or was it even a kiss? Their lips _had_ touched but only barely. They certainly had had a moment and a connection so deep that it went beyond anything physical. But as Quinn had noticed many days ago, they were both totally clueless. Clueless of how they felt about the other and even more clueless of how the other felt about them.

Haley was still very much aware that it had been only two days since she had broken up with Chris. She didn't know if all those feelings towards Nathan was only her unconsciously not wanting to be alone and since he was the only guy around, it only made sense for him to be the one.

Nathan glanced at Haley quickly before looking at the sky again. With a sigh he realized that it was exactly what he had been doing lately; looking at her. For the past few days he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her.

Seeing her go from happy to miserable because of Chris had been the worst feeling he had ever experienced. He had understood why Lucas and Haley's brothers were so protective of her. He had only been friends with her a week and he was already more than willing to rip Chris Keller's head off, among many other things.

He didn't know what to do. He definitely wanted to keep the light, fun and flirty conversations and be close to her but he couldn't help but think of her as more than a friend.

She was by far the most beautiful, nice and smart girl he had ever met and he had a hard time believing that any other girl would ever come close to her. Hell, even join the same league. Because that's what she was: totally out of any other girl's league. In his head, she was frigging a goddess and with a sad sigh, Nathan realized that also he was out of her league.

"We should probably get in." Nathan said sitting up.

"Really? But it's so nice out-" Haley said and then suddenly heard an animal sound somewhere in the distance. "Then again, inside the car sounds great. Perfect. Come on, let's go." She said practically pulling Nathan off of the hood of the car.

"Front seats or back seats?" Haley asked.

They opened both front doors at the same time, Haley by the passenger side and Nathan by the driver's side.

"The passenger seat doesn't go down." Nathan said pointing at the seat in front of Haley.

"Why? It worked befo- Oh yeah..." she said when she remembered her breaking it after she had found out about Chris cheating on her. "Sorry about that. I promise I will get it fixed."

"Don't worry about it." He said. "Unfortunately this seat is broken too. It's been jammed since I can remember."

"So, no sleeping in the front seats?" Haley asked.

"Nope. Unless you wanna do it sitting." Nathan said and they both blushed at the double meaning. Nathan coughed uncomfortably.

"So, I guess we're sleeping in the back." Nathan said slamming the front door shut as Haley followed his lead.

They opened both back doors and looked at the second and third row seats that were completely full of their stuff, and not to even Brooke's precious dress bags.

They looked up to stare at each other at the same time.

"So, exactly _how_ are we supposed to fit in there?"

20 minutes later...

"You're hogging the entire blanket."

"Are you kidding? You have like the entire thing!"

"You have the pillow!"

"Is there any room on your right side? And please don't touch my hair, Nate."

"Room? That's a negative... Watch out, I'm turning around."

"What? I don't think that's possibl- Ouch!"

"What did I hit? What did I hit?"

"My breas- umh, never mind. Just be careful. And watch the hair."

"Damn, my arm is twisted in such a weird angle that I'm glad it's too dark to see it. I'm actually touching the middle of my back with my palm without even trying!"

"So, you can touch your back. Marvellous. I can't _feel_ my left hand anymore."

"Oh, quit bitching. I haven't felt my left leg in like 10 minutes."

"Whatever."

"Are you sure there's no more room there?"

"No... Wait, what's that?"

"What's wha- Ouch! Haley!"

"What?"

"You poked me in the eye!"

"Sorry... Wait, are you touching my leg?"

"No, your leg is touching me!"

"Sorry, but it's a bit tight here and I- Did you just touch my hair?

"Uh... No?"

"I told you not to touch my hair, Nathan."

"We're in the middle of the woods. Nobody gives a crap what your hair looks like, princess."

"You do _not_ get to call me a princess! We're sleeping in a frigging car, for god's sakes! Move to the left a bit."

"What?"

"Can you just move to the left a bit?"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Ok, if you're sure."

"Not _your_ left! My left, Nathan, my left! God, get off of me!"

"You said left... Hold on, I'm turning around again..."

"Could you _be_ more annoying?"

"Funny, I was about to ask the same thing from you."

"Great."

"Wait, you're not taking all of that space, are you?"

"I'm a girl, I need my beauty sleep."

"I think I should have that space."

"Oh, yeah? Give me one good reason why."

"Oh, how about the fact that I'm, you know, A FEET TALLER!"

"So? Be a gentlemen and move your feet!"

"It's not like I can just pack them into a neat pile and pocket them. You're just gonna have to get used to them."

"You have about 90 percent of the total space."

"More like 80."

"I want my 20 percent back!"

"You do? Sure, no problem. You know, as soon as you grow 20 percent taller. It's all about making it fair, Haley."

"Fair? _Fair_?! My face is approximately two inches from your armpit and your feet smell so bad that I'm seriously thinking of clawing my nose off. 'Fair' has left the building or the vehicle in our case, a long time ago, buddy."

"Yeah? Deal with it."

"Or?"

"Well, you're always welcome to sleep outside with the dragons and the bears."

"Goddammit... Let me try to turn around."

"Whoa... Easy with the knees, Hales. Three inches to the left and it wouldn't have been pretty."

"Oh, whatever. Move a bit. I'm seriously having trouble breathing here."

"I _can't_. My back is literally crashed against the back of the seats! And did I mention that my hand is still twisted in a seriously disturbing angle? Which wouldn't be a big deal if I wasn't planning on using them for, I don't know, my career!"

"Oh, whine, whine, whine. Why don't you be a guy and get over it?!"

"Whoa, someone's having that special time of the month again!"

"Goddammit, Nathan! I need more space!"

"Too damn bad!"

"Argh! Shut up!"

"Knees, Haley! Watch your fucking knees! You're very close to doing some _serious_ damage."

"Oh, zip it, Scott. If I really harmed your manhood, I'd do the world a favor."

"Whoa, what is that Elton John song in my head that reminds me of you right now? Oh yeah, 'The Bitch is Back'."

"You listen to Elton John?"

"My mom does. And that was so not the point."

"You have a point?"

"Yep, the point is that you're being a brat."

"Shut. Up."

"As soon as you quit whining. The knees, Haley!"

"Arrgh! Let me out of this car!"

"And do this whole thing again from the beginning? It took us 10 minutes to get a semi-comfortable position. So, no thanks."

"I hate this car!"

"Me too, Haley, me to- Watch the fucking knees!!"

"Find your happy place. Find your happy place."

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to find my goddamn happy place!"

"And you're obviously not succeeding..."

"Find your happy place... Happy place... Whooozaaa..."

Silence.

"You OK?"

"In so many ways not."

Nathan sighed in the darkness as Haley tried to shift her position so the pain in her back would ease.

They had somehow managed to move all of their stuff from the second-row seats to the trunk and the back seats without harming the wedding dresses. Then they had put down the second-row-seats so they could lie on the floor where there was more space.

Still, the space was very limited, especially when both tried their best not to touch the other and keep as far away as possible. The uncomfortable silence after their almost kiss had turned into their familiar, almost trademark bickering. It was easy for both and it kept their mind off of the more serious stuff.

"Try to get some sleep, Hales." Nathan whispered softly.

"You too. Good night."

"G'nite."

Nathan felt as Haley's tense body slowly relaxed. A while later he could hear her breathing slowing down as she finally fell asleep. Her steady, deep breathing as his lullaby, Nathan slowly drifted to sleep as well.

* * *

Around 3 am Nathan woke up. 

For a split second he couldn't remember where he was but soon everything came back. He looked at the dark figure right in front of him and frowned when he realized that Haley was shivering in cold in her sleep. Looking to his side he realized guiltily that he had the entire blanket over him. He grabbed the blanket, inched as close to her as possible and threw the blanket over both of them.

She snuggled closer to him in her sleep, letting her back rest against his warm chest. He wrapped his hand over her and pulled her a bit closer before falling asleep again.

Neither woke up until the morning.

* * *

So, any thoughts on the chappie? What was good? Bad:)

-Fes-


	12. Rude Awakening

Hey, everyone. What's up? Thanks for all the great reviews. You guys rock! Hope you enjoy chapter 12. :)

* * *

Quote of the day: Alias 

Marshall Flinkman (singing his son to sleep): Hush... hush... hush little Mitchell, don't you cry. Daddy's here to teach you about Lanthanides. Cerium is first, yes it leads the way. Hexagonal structure and it's iron gray. Praseodymium is next and it looks like brass...

* * *

Chapter 12. Rude Awakening. 

Day 9. Somewhere in Utah...

On August 25th 2007, in a parked SUV in a camping area of a natural forest in Utah, Nathan Scott woke up for a number of reasons.

For one, the sun was shining directly inside the car, making the temperature rise close to match a sauna. Still keeping his eyes closed, he wiped some sweat off of his forehead.

The second reason for waking up was that he couldn't feel his left arm anymore because it was numb. He opened his eyes slowly and realized that his road trip buddy, Haley James, was using it as a pillow.

With a smile, he held his breath not wanting to wake her up. He looked at her peaceful face that was resting only inches from his own. Apparently, she had turned around in her sleep so instead of her back being pressed to him, she was facing him. His right hand still over her he couldn't help but stroke a few loose strands of hair from her face.

He inched a bit closer and was about to wrap his hand over her again, when he realized the third and foremost reason for waking up.

The constant tapping sound on the window.

With a tired face he looked up to try to find out what was making the sound. _Probably a tree branch or something_, he thought. Almost immediately his tired face turned into a shocked, startled one, when he realized that it wasn't a 'what' that was making the tapping. It was a 'who'.

And that 'who' had his face pressed against window and was looking inside the car, glaring at Nathan.

"Jesus!" Nathan yelled while sitting up abruptly, waking up Haley in the process.

After the initial shock, he soon realized who the man outside was: Matt James, Haley's oldest brother who they had met the previous night for dinner before they had blown a tire and gotten stranded by the side of the road.

Matt was by far the scariest of all of Haley's siblings, even though her twin brothers had threatened Nathan with bodily harm more than once. There was just something disturbing about Matt's quiet, cold, super-protective Godfather-like persona. And since he was a cop, hence licensed to carry a gun, didn't make him seem any nicer.

His heart still beating furiously, Nathan unlocked the doors before stepping out. He looked at Matt, wondering what he should say or do.

"Hi, Matt." Nathan said quietly.

Matt, who was standing a few feet from Nathan wearing the intimidating cop uniform, glared at him without saying anything. His jaw was clenched and that one vein by the side of his head was ticking furiously. He looked at Haley with a worried look when she climbed out of the car after Nathan.

She jumped on the ground, threw her hands in the air and stretched her back with a big, loud yawn. Matt looked at Nathan in fury, when he saw him staring at Haley's exposed stomach and arched back with wide, lust-filled eyes.

"Hi, Matty." Haley said like it was the most normal thing to have him there in the middle of nowhere.

"Are you ok?" Matt asked while looking at her carefully.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

Matt glanced at Nathan quickly but didn't say anything.

"No reason. Just making sure."

"Wait, what are doing here?" Haley asked confused when she finally realized just how bizarre the situation was.

"Funny, I was gonna ask the same from you." Matt said. "I thought you were supposed to drive to Las Vegas last night." Matt said and then pointed at their broken tire. "I mean, I can see that you blew a tire but why didn't you change it? I thought I taught you to change a tire like five years ago."

"You did, but there was no spare." Haley said.

"And you couldn't call anyone to get it fixed?"

"No cell signal."

"Why didn't you just walk to the town?"

"What town?" Nathan and Haley asked at the same time.

"The town that's half a mile that way." Matt said pointing towards the road.

"Well, we didn't know it was that close." Haley said.

"And the road sign didn't help?" Matt asked with a dry voice while nodding towards a road sign that was basically right across the street. And it said, 'Downtown, 1/2 mile'.

"Whoops." Nathan said.

"It was too dark to see it." Haley said.

"I bet."

"How the hell did you find us anyways?" Haley asked while tying her hair into a messy bun.

"I was patroling by the old church about 20 minutes from here, enjoying my coffee and the wonderful morning when Officer Carson, an asshole from the 7th district, called and told me that you two were parked here and sleeping peacefully in a car, which is illegal in the state of Utah by the way. Anyways, I basically told Officer Carson that his old, senile eyes must be wrong since my sister should be in Las Vegas by now. He asked me if I cared to make a bet for it and since I trusted my sister so much, I did. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that Officer Carson, who I now owe 50 bucks thanks to you two idiots, was right."

"Sorry." Haley said and shrugged her shoulders with an apologizing smile.

"So, how did Officer Carson know to call you?" Nathan asked.

"Oh, I might have added your register plate to the database… with a note to contact me if anything happened." Matt said.

"I see you're taking full advantage of your job." Haley said with a grin.

"Hell yeah."

"We should probably call Triple A." Nathan said.

"Already did it." Matt said just as the truck showed up.

Matt turned to look at a tree that was close to them before looking at Haley. "So, wanna tell me why the hell your bikini is hanging from a tree?"

"We went swimming." Haley said pointing at the lake.

Matt looked at Haley with his mouth open in shock.

"What?" he asked with a pale face.

"Don't start, Matt. This is not the time or the place." Haley said glancing at Nathan quickly who had no idea what Haley and Matt were talking about.

"Fine." Matt said. "But we're definitely gonna have a talk about the bikini. It's way too revealing. What's wrong with a one-piece?"

"Nothing. But I just happen to like this particular bikini. And it's not too revealing. Right, Nathan?"

Both Matt and Haley turned to look at Nathan who was looking at the bikini with a glazed, intense look. Haley wondered what was wrong with him but Matt knew exactly what Nathan was thinking. The bikini on Haley.

Matt cleared his throat loudly and Nathan turned to look at them with a startled look.

"What? Oh! No. No, it's not too revealing. It's perfect." He said quickly.

"Oh really." Matt said dryly while looking between Nathan and the small bikini. "How wonderful."

"Relax, Matt. The twins already gave me the whole 'never wear a bikini in front of a male' -speech." Haley said when she saw that Matt was starting to get angry again.

"And I can see how much good it did." he said still glaring at Nathan.

"Haley, why don't you go talk to the Triple A guy while I chat with Nathan here." Matt said still glaring at Nathan.

"Fine, have your macho moment." she huffed and went to talk to the Triple A guy.

As soon as Haley had left, Matt took a quick step towards Nathan until he was right in front of him.

"You touch her, I break you." Matt said through gritted teeth.

Nathan sighed in boredom.

"How original." Nathan huffed. "I've already met the twins and Quinn. Come on Matt, you can do better."

"You better watch that mouth of yours before I literally beat you up so bad that even your mom can't recognize you from all the bruises and broken bones on your deformed face and mutilated body."

"That's more like it." Nathan said.

"Listen to me, you punk-"

"No, _you_ listen to me." Nathan snapped. "I'm sick of people thinking that I'm some sort of monster who has no morals or feelings towards anyone. Haley's a good, smart girl and I care for her a lot and I would never do anything to hurt her. I've already beaten up one guy for her and I would do it again in a heart beat." he said to Matt who looked at him surprised.

"Chris 'Asshole' Keller?"

"Yep, Chris 'Fuckface' Keller."

"About damn time..." Matt said. "But this is not about you, Nathan. I don't know you and truth to be told, I really don't wish to change that. But I do care whether you will hurt her or not."

"I won't." he said and let out a frustrated sigh when Matt still looked unbelieving.

"Nathan..." Matt started with a softer voice while looking at Haley who was talking to the truck guy. "You have to understand that Haley is always and forever gonna be our baby girl. She's the youngest in our family and any of us would die to protect her."

"Yeah, of course. That's what siblings do. Family is important." Nathan said as Matt looked at Haley.

Looking at Haley across the yard, Matt started to talk quietly.

"When I was 15, my parents decided to take the whole family camping. We rented a caravan which, by the way, one should _never_ do with 7 kids and 2 hippie parents. Anyways, we spent two weeks in Florida and one morning our sister Taylor broke her leg. My parents had to take her to a hospital and since I was already 15 and Vivian 14, they left us in charge of Quinn, the twins and Haley." Matt said.

"Makes sense." Nathan said not sure why Matt was telling him this.

"Back then it used to be always Vivian, Quinn and I hanging out since we were the older kids. Chris and Brian were usually with Taylor but since she was in the hospital with our parents, the twins were playing with us." Matt started.

"What about Haley?"

"You have to understand that Haley was only 5 years old so none of us really wanted to play with her because she couldn't do much." Matt said still looking at Haley across the yard with a pained expression.

"What happened?" Nathan asked quietly, not liking where the story was going.

"It was a hot day so we were swimming in this small pool and having fun. We were making fun of Haley because she couldn't swim well. We started to play hide and seek and Haley was the seeker. I thought it would be fun if we left her counting to hundred and would go buy ice cream from the store close by." Matt said, his voice starting to shake more and more.

He coughed loudly before continuing to get a hold of himself.

"When we came back, she was floating in the pool. Her face down."

"Oh my god..."

"We called the paramedics and she was rushed to the hospital. She was breathing through a tube for 2 days. They told us that had she been under water for 4 more minutes, she'd be brain dead."

Matt turned to look at Nathan bitterly.

"So yeah, we tend to look after her."

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea." Nathan said still in shock.

"She barely remembers anything and we haven't told her any details. I doubt she'd want to know that the girls cried for three days straight, that the twins had to go through crisis counseling and that I broke my fist because of hitting it through a hospital wall. She only remembers that she almost drowned as a kid which is why she hates camping. She's barely even swum since that day."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Nathan said with a guilty voice when he remembered Haley's reaction to being stranded by the side of the road and how badly she had swum.

Nathan wanted to beat himself for practically forcing her to go swimming and not being more supportive of her being scared of camping.

"We've always known that our parents are pretty liberal and free spirited when it comes to raising kids and setting limits and rules so we knew that it was up to us to look after her. What happened 13 years ago almost teared our family apart and it can never happen again. So, all the hostility towards you has nothing to do with you, _per se_. You could be Mother Theresa and we would still look at you through narrowed eyes. It's all about her. Always."

"I get that." Nathan said. "And I appreciate it a lot that you're telling me all of this. I do. But you have to realize that I'm on your side." Nathan said and turned to look at Haley who was laughing at something the truck guy said.

"You did handle the Chris Keller situation pretty well." Matt said admiringly.

"Thank you. And believe me, it was my pleasure." Nathan said with a smile.

"How did you get him to not sue your ass?"

"I told him that if he told anyone or tried to retaliate, I'd sic Haley's brothers on him." Nathan said with a grin.

"Nice. Though if he had sued you anyways, you would've had a lawyer. Quinn would've so defended you _pro bono_. We all hate Keller."

"I know. The twins told me." Nathan said.

Matt looked at Nathan thoughtfully before smiling proudly.

"You know what, I think you've proven yourself. You beat up Chris, managed to survive the twins and kept her calm and safe here even though she's scared of the woods and the water. To tell you the truth, I couldn't have done it any better. Welcome to team 'Protect Tutor Girl'."

"Something tells me you didn't come up with the name." Nathan laughed and shook Matt's hand when he offered it.

"Vivian and Taylor." he said. "But this doesn't mean that I trust you as a person or I like that you have this little flirty thing with her. But I do trust you to look after her."

"Thanks." he said and they started to walk towards Haley and the guy. "So, how's the cop life treating you? Having fun? Is it all you thought it woul- Is that guy _flirting_ with Haley?" Nathan asked as Matt's head snapped up to look at the Triple A guy who was laughing loudly at something Haley had just said.

A second later Matt and Nathan's eyes narrowed simultaneously in anger.

"Did he just wink at her?"

"And now he's checking her boobs."

"If he touches her-"

"-he's dead. But I seriously doubt that he'd be that stup- Oh! He did _not_!"

"That's it. He's _dead_! Dead!"

"Do you think we could beat him up, drive my SUV over him and feed his burned body to a bunch of hungry bears before throwing it down a cliff and still make it look like a suicide?"

"Oh, totally. My buddy works at the coroner's office. He owes me from a poker game."

"Sweet. Here are the car keys. I'll do the beating."

* * *

10 minutes later... 

"What the _fuck_! Are you two _insane_?!! What the hell was that?!! Have you two lost your minds?!! What were you thinking?! Have you two been drinking or sniffing gas?!

"Hal-"

"Did you even think at all at the consequences of being as GODDAMM STUPID as you two are?! You're both acting like a fucking 5-year-old!"

"Hale-"

"No! _Correction_! You're acting like a retarded, stupid, annoying, little punk of a 5-year-old who eats glue and toothpaste for breakfast! Because even a normal 5-year-old wouldn't be as GODDAMM STUPID as you two are!"

"Calm-"

"What the hell was going through your heads?! He could've gotten hurt and called the cops which would've been quite funny and ironic, since one of you _IS_ A FUCKING COP!"

"But-"

"For fuck's sakes! And to know that I'm actually blood-related to one of you! Goddammit, boys!" Haley yelled and paused to catch in her breath.

"She'd be a good basketball coach." Nathan whispered to Matt who made an agreeing sound which made Haley even more furious.

She ran her hand through her hair in annoyance and sighed deeply to keep herself from completely losing it.

Haley, Nathan and Matt were still in the parking lot of the camping area, in the middle of a _very_ loud conversation. The guys were sitting on the ground, where Haley had pushed them while she was pacing in front of them, yelling. The triple A guy was long gone.

"Haley, calm down." Matt said and took advantage of the moment of silence. "It's all good."

"Good? You threatened him and yelled at him!" she yelled looking at Nathan and Matt like they were crazy.

"More like had a heated conversation."

"A conversation? You attacked him!"

"That's an exaggeration." Nathan said. "We were just chatting."

"The guy was _bleeding_!" Haley said.

"Barely." Matt mumbled with a pout.

"It was his fault, really." Nathan mumbled in a quiet voice.

With one raised eye brow, Haley crossed her hands over her chest and huffed in sarcasm.

"Oh, _really_? So, the guy intentionally threw himself, face down might I add, on the hood of your car? And the reason you two were behind him was to actually help him up instead throw him down, like it looked like to someone who was standing, I don't know, TWO FEET AWAY?" Haley asked sarcastically.

"Exactly." Matt said.

"And just as intentionally he jumped on the ground face down, AGAIN, before grabbing himself by the collar of his shirt and ripping it?" Haley asked and looked at Nathan and Matt sternly.

Without blinking, or looking at each other, they both looked at her with an honest, serious face.

"That's right." they said at the same time.

"Aargh! I was right here! Right here!" she yelled pointing at the ground in fury.

"So, we had 'a moment' with the guy, big deal." Nathan said with air quotes.

"The poor guy was terrified!" Haley said.

"I think he was more like tired." Matt said.

"Tired? He yelled for help and ran away!"

"So, he was in a hurry." Nathan offered.

"Besides, he might have been drunk. I think I smelled alcohol." Matt said suspiciously.

"It was cologne!"

"Still, there was something off with the guy." Nathan said.

"Argh, you two are unbelievable. Thank god I managed to get him to promise not to sue your sorry, retarded asses. Although, based on the way you two are behaving now and how much sympathy you show, I shouldn't have bothered. In fact, I should've helped him arrest you." she said.

"Oh, chill out, sis." Matt said standing up and throwing his arm around Haley's shoulders.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Nathan said getting up also and throwing his hand also around her, sandwiching her between him and Matt.

"Are you tag teaming me?" Haley asked.

"Of course not." They said at the same time.

"You know, I think I liked it better when you-" she said looking at Matt. "-wanted to kick your ass." She said turning to look at Nathan.

"Chill, sis'." Matt said,

"Why did you two even attack him?" she asked in a confused voice. "He was just giving me directions."

"And touching you." Nathan growled.

"Huh? Oh yeah, there was this huge, nasty bug on my shoulder." she said nonchalantly while hiding her smile.

At the same, Nathan and Matt looked at each other over Haley's head with panicked expressions. They both gulped.

"But he was coming onto you, right? With all the laughing and everything?" Matt asked.

"He was laughing when I told him how stupid we were for not seeing the road sign. He told me his son and family also missed the sign when they were visiting him."

"Son?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, the guy was like 45 or something. Didn't you see that? Or were you too busy kicking his ass for no reason whatsoever?" Haley asked.

The guys looked at each other again with the same, panicked expressions on their faces.

"Besides, why do you care if he was flirting with me or not? That wasn't the reason you attacked him, right?" Haley asked and looked at them interested.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"You two should probably get back on the road." Matt said quickly and started to guide them towards Nathan's car.

"Totally!" Nathan said and started to push Haley towards the car as well.

"Already?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, it's getting late." Nathan said.

Haley looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"It's 8 am."

"Gotta hit the roads early to avoid traffic." Matt said.

"Ok, sure... Just let me brush my teeth first." she said and left the boys to get her tooth brush from the trunk.

Nathan turned to look at Matt abruptly.

"45? I thought he was like 30!" Nathan hissed.

"That's what I thought too! And I could've sworn he was checking her out." Matt whispered.

"Exactly!"

With a smile, Haley pretended not to hear the guys' conversation while brushing her teeth. She wasn't stupid; she knew exactly why the guys had jumped on the guy. But that wasn't the reason she was smiling.

She was smiling because Matt and Nathan had been right. The Triple A guy _had_ tried to hit on her and had been flirting like hell. And like the guys had thought, he was more like 30 than 45 years old and had in fact been drinking, based on the way his disgusting breath smelled and the fact that he had offered her a drink, before taking one himself.

She knew that Matt and Nathan were just trying to protect her and wanted the best for her. Just like everyone had done her whole life. And quite frankly, she was getting sick of it. Being tired of being treated like a baby, Haley had decided to pull a prank on the guys. To show them she could take care of herself. That, and because she was bored.

She knew that the Triple A guy wasn't going to press charges, she had made sure of that when she had, behind the guys' backs, threatened to sue the guy for drinking in the job, driving under the influence and offering alcohol to a minor. He had gladly decided to walk away, or in his case: run as fast as his drunken ass let him.

"Ok, I think we're all set." Haley said while closing the trunk and wiping her mouth to hide her smirk.

"Ok, drive safely and call me when you get to Vegas." Matt said hugging Haley.

"Will do. Take care, big brother. Tell everyone I said hi."

"I will." he said and turned to look at Nathan. They did some sort of manly hug, fist bumping -thingy. Matt nodded his head with a smile, as if approving Nathan.

"Good to meet ya, Matt. Take care." Nathan said as he hopped on the driver's side and turned the ignition on.

"You too and take care of the little one." he said tilting his head in Haley's direction.

"Hell yeah. Project PTG." Nathan smiled and bumped fists with Matt's. After final waves and goodbyes, Nathan and Haley were back on the road.

And so was the unbearably uncomfortable silence.

"So..." Haley started wanting to break the silence while looking at the road in front of her.

"Yeah, what a night and day, huh." Nathan muttered while looking at everywhere but her.

"Yeah, totally crazy."

"Totally."

"Yeah."

Nathan stopped briefly for a STOP-sign and turned to look at Haley to say something but suddenly felt like his mouth was drier than the sand in Sahara. The reason? She was looking at him.

It was the first time since their almost kiss from the previous night when they weren't stranded or fearing of being eaten by a bear or in the middle of beating up a drunk. Once again, the silence was overwhelming and their connection so deep it couldn't be explained to outsiders.

They were looking at each other, with those lust filled, R-rated eyes that could pierce through cement. Neither having the courage to say anything but also not back down, they just sat there in silence, staring at each other.

They both flinched when there was a honk behind them. Nathan looked around startled when he realized that they were still in front of the STOP sign. While muttering something incoherent under his breath, he sped off.

Haley looked out the window, with an uncomfortable blush. She coughed a little in the silence. Nathan scratched his head while keeping his eyes strictly on the road as Haley looked anywhere but him.

She started to shake her leg and bite her nails without noticing it. Nathan, still flushed from the moment, started to tap the wheel madly with his fingers. Haley sat up a bit higher to get a more comfortable position but ended up banging her knee against the dashboard. Nathan, startled by the movement, looked at her, then back at the road.

He scratched his head.

She tapped her leg.

After few more minutes of fidgeting on their seats, tapping their legs and making uncomfortable coughs, Nathan took a deep breath. The silence had to stop. Not only so that they could finally get over the awkwardness but also because if he scratched his head any more, it would start bleeding.

Nathan looked at her quickly trying to think of the best way to break the silence. Should he ask her what she was thinking? Turn the radio on? Maybe totally ignore the subject and talk about something totally different?

How do you break the silence and end the awkwardness? Nathan suddenly started to smile when he got an idea. What were they best known for? What was the most common thing for them?

"Jesus, you stink, James." Nathan said with a playful voice to let her know he was joking.

Haley looked at him with her mouth open in shock.

"Oh, looks who's talking?" Haley said with a grin knowing that he was just kidding to end the silence. "You smell like the lake and who knows what's in there. Or what's died in there. And don't even let me get started on your feet." She said almost laughing out loud at the look on his face.

"My feet don't stink! You do!"

"Oh, nice comeback. Did you think that for a long time?" she said now laughing out loud.

"Oh, zip it, James." He said smiling which made Haley laugh even more.

She ran her hands through her hair while trying to breathe air in the midst of her laughter. _What the hell are we doing?_ she thought in confusion.

"I think we've spent too much time together." She said still laughing, glad that the uncomfortable silence was over.

"Oh, no kidding." Nathan said. "I think I know you better then my own mom." He said.

"Right back at ya buddy." Haley said and smiled.

"So, Vegas, huh?" Nathan said.

"Vegas." Haley said.

There was a long silence but for once it was a comfortable silence. They were both deep in their thoughts, thinking about the upcoming two days that would be the last of their road trip.

Haley took her diary from her purse.

_So, we survived being stranded by the side of the road. And we kissed. Kinda. Almost. I mean, our lips did touch. I think. I don't know, god! And it's not like I'm gonna ask him. Yeah, that would be a nice conversation. "Hey Nathan, nice driving. I kinda gotta pee so could we stop for quick bathroom break and oh, by the way, did we make out last night? Just wondering, you know. Oh, and we should get gas too." Yeah, I'm sure that would go very well. Not awkward at all._

_I know you think I'm exaggerating but if you could've been there last night after we broke off the kiss... I have never in my life been more uncomfortable and yes, that's including the time when I walked on Taylor doing the nasty with her English teacher. I will leave their position unmentioned, but let's just say that the animal world would've found it disturbing. _

_Just thinking about it still makes me shudder. And gag. But compared to the awkward silence after Nathan and mine almost-kiss, I would gladly take the Taylor incident back._

_It was just so awkward! None of us said anything but we both were thinking the same thing. Luckily we were pretty occupied with being stranded and haven't really had any time to think about it._

_Until now. _

_When there are no bears or snakes or lizards or annoying Triple A guys or overprotective older brothers around. _

_Just 5 hours of driving. _

_Together. _

_By ourselves. _

_In a car. _

_Need I go on?_

_And speaking of uncomfortable moments, we just had one again at some random STOP sign. I know, we're so pathetic. Our whole situation is just so surreal. _

_I know that there's something more than friendship here. I'm not stupid. But now, after 8 days of hanging out together and getting to know each other, anything more than friendship would be just so weird. Right? I mean friends can't become more than that, right?_

_Whoever said that best friends make the best lovers must've been high. How can anyone get past the awkward stage, I'd like to know. I really, really would like to know. Like right now._

_And the way Nathan and I became friends, almost by being forced, is just so strange. Forced to do a 10-day road trip together? Hardly a normal way to start a relationship. We hang out every single minute together so it's not like we can just avoid each other when things get uncomfortable. _

_Luckily, we reached some sort of understanding when we started our bickering again and decided that we have simply spent too much time together and that's the reason for the awkwardness. But something tells me that this won't be the end of it..._

Haley closed her diary and yawned tired. She then let out an irritated sigh which made Nathan look at her curiously.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot my bikini."

"I'm sure the bears and dragons will enjoy it."

"Or the next creepy, Triple A drunk who tries to hit on me."

"What?! He-! But-! _Haley_!"

* * *

So, there you go. :) Any thoughts? Ideas? Concerns?

-Fes-


	13. The Calm Before The Storm

Hey, everyone. Thanks for all the reviews, please keep them coming. :) Hope you enjoy chapter 13. :)

* * *

Quote of the day: The Tribe 

Amber: Look up "pregnancy".  
[Lex laughs  
Amber: What?  
Lex: You don't need a laptop to learn about that. All you need's a lap.

* * *

**Chapter 13. The Calm Before The Storm.**

Day 9. Las Vegas. 6 pm.

_Awkward. _

_That's the theme of the day. _

_Quick recap: Nathan and I got a flat tire last night, got stranded on a deserted camping area with no cell signal. We got crazy in the water and kissed. Kinda. I think. None of us really knows for sure so we're avoiding the subject._

_We finally made it to Las Vegas about 4 hours ago. Had to look for our hotel a while but found it surprisingly quickly. Luckily, it's a walking distance from the Strip. Nathan and I are staying in the same hotel room which hopefully won't be a problem. Thank god there's one separate bedroom which I claimed to myself immediately. He is so sleeping on the coach. But knowing his manwhorish ways, he'll probably find another place to spend his nights._

_Tonight we only have to deliver the last wedding dress to the third customer. Another bitchy, underweight model whore, I assume. Should be a blast. Ugh, I really gotta go now... I'll let you know how it went..._

Haley closed the book with a sigh and put it away. She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. She quickly brushed her hair and added lip gloss before opening the door. She looked at Nathan who was lying on the coach, looking at the TV bored.

"Hey, um..." Haley started but only a whisper came out. She cleared her throat. "We have to deliver the dress or you can just hand me the car keys and head out, I know you have some friends from High Flyers that you probably wanna see and it's no problem... really... I can take care of the dress and everything so you can just... head out to your buddies... From High Flyers..." she said nervously, with every word quieter than the last one.

_What the hell's the matter with me?!_ She thought. She was more nervous than she had been on her SAT day which was saying a lot, considering the amount of times she had thrown up before taking the test.

"Are you ok?" Nathan asked from the flushed, rambling girl.

"Yeah, perfect." she piped and gave him a forced smile.

"Ok, then let's go." Nathan said getting up and turning the TV off.

Haley crabbed her purse and headed out after him.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Nathan asked as they were driving towards their destination.

"We?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, I mean, you don't have to hang out with me if you don't want to but I just assumed... I mean, we have hung out every night for the past 8 days, so I just thought that we'd hang out tonight too..." Nathan trailed off.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't care. Whatever you wanna do." Haley said.

"I'll call the guys later and see what's happening tonight. It is Friday night so there's gotta be something."

"Yeah, sounds good." Haley said absentmindedly while looking through the window. Nathan looked at her worried.

"Ok, what's wrong?" he asked.

"What? Nothing! I'm fine. Perfect." she said.

"Something's wrong, I can tell." He said.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm good, just a bit tired." She said.

She knew that she was acting weird but because even she had no clue why, she wasn't exactly lying when she said she was ok.

"Ok, but you do know that you can always talk to me, right." Nathan asked seriously.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks." She said with a smile and squeezed his shoulder in gratitude, sending shock waves down his arm and to the tips of her fingers.

She snapped her hand back like it had burned.

"So..." Haley started.

"Umh..." Nathan mumbled.

They both looked at each other quickly and then back at the road. Both were thinking a way to end the silence because as long as they were talking or doing something to keep themselves busy, everything was fine.

It was the awkward silences they had to avoid.

"Uh..." Haley started.

"Hmm..." Nathan mumbled.

"We should totally play the radio game!"

"Totally!"

* * *

**Knock knock**

"Prepare for another bitchy, spoiled, drug addict model."

"Just because she's Brooke's customer doesn't mean that she's necessarily a model."

"All of Brooke's customers _are_ models, Nathan."

"Well, she's not necessarily spoiled. She can be really humble."

"She's staying at the penthouse of the Palms hotel!"

Nathan and Haley were standing outside the front door of the third customer. She was staying in the penthouse apartment of the Palms hotel and Haley was sure that she was yet another spoiled, rich model in need of rehab.

The door suddenly flew open. Nathan and Haley stared at the tall, beautiful, thin girl who couldn't be more than 18 years old. Before they had time to exchange heys or anything, the girl suddenly started to scream. _Loud_.

It wasn't one of those "help-me-someone-is-trying-to-kill-me" -screams. It was more like a "oh-my-god-I-haven't-seen-you-since-college-and-gosh-can-you-remember-the-time-when-we-had-that-hula-hula-party-at-our-  
sorority-and-we-got-so-drunk-we-made-out-with-the-same-guy" -scream.

Nathan and Haley both flinched startled and looked at the girl who had started to fan herself with her hands to keep from crying, just like every Miss USA does when the winner is announced, Haley noted sarcastically.

"Oh, you must be Nathan and Haley! Brooke's told me so much about you!" she gushed and practically dragged Nathan and Haley inside the apartment.

"Yeah, we ar-" Haley started but got cut off by another scream from the excited girl.

"Oh my god!! Is that the dress?! _Is that the dress_?!" the girl screamed in a loud, high, excited voice while looking at the dress bag on Haley's hands and jumping up and down and clapping her hands together.

"Yes, it is." Haley said with a smile. At least she showed excitement unlike the previous two customers who had been more interested in their nails and hair than their upcoming marriage.

"Honey!" the girl yelled somewhere towards the back of the apartment. A young, tall, handsome man opened one of the doors in the back and joined the group.

"Hi y'all." He said with a deep southern accent.

"I'm Tony Bale."

Nathan's head snapped towards him and he looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Of the Lakers?"

"Yeah, I play ball." He said smiling. "Nice to meet you." He said and shook hands with Nathan and Haley. "Forgive her for being so loud but she's just so excited to finally see the dress." Tony said while hugging his fiancé.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even have time to introduce myself. I'm Solaris." The young woman said.

"I'm Haley and this is Nathan." Haley said politely.

"Come on in, make yourselves at home." Solaris said.

"Sure, where do you want the dress?" Haley asked.

"Over here." She said taking them to her dressing room.

Nathan was about to walk inside the room when Tony took a hold of his arm.

"Dude, you don't wanna go there." He said.

"But-" Nathan started but got cut off by a choir of screams that were obviously the bridesmaids and both the groom and bride's mothers inside the huge dressing room.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass." Nathan said taking a step back from the doorway gladly. He looked at Haley who was getting crushed by all of hugs. "Hales, I'll be here doing… something. Holla if you need anything." he said and slammed the door shut feeling relieved but also guilty for Haley.

"You up for NBA Live?" Tony said.

"Dude, you just read my mind."

Haley looked at the closed door and rolled her eyes. Boys...

"Everyone, quiet!" Solaris yelled getting the immediate attention from everyone in the room.

"Haley, this is my mother Diana and that's Tony's mom Susan. And these lovely ladies are my bridesmaids Molly, Megan, Jamie and Lauren. The last one is my baby sis and maid of honor, Alexis. Girls, this is Designer-Brooke's best friend Haley."

"Hi." They all said at the same time and smiled brightly.

"We can't tell you how excited we are." Megan said.

"Yeah, we can't wait to see the dress." Molly smiled.

"So, show us the dress." Diane said and everyone squealed and clapped their hands enthusiastically.

"So, the wedding's tomorrow, right?" Haley asked while starting to hang the dress bag on the door.

"Yes. Ever since my great-great-grandma finished her wedding dress only one day before her wedding, we've had a tradition that every bride can see the dress for the first time only one day before the wedding. Hence, the last minute dress." Solaris explained to Haley.

"That sounds great." Haley said while unzipping the dress bag. "Traditions are really important in my famil- Oh no."

"What?" Solaris asked when she heard Haley's horrified gasp as she looked inside the dress bag. "_What?!_"

"Umh..." Haley started and carefully took the dress out of the bag so the whole room could see it.

No one in the room looked at the gorgeous golden patterns on the bottom, the detailed lacing on the side or the perfect veil that was hanging from it. They were all looking at the left strap. The _ripped_ strap.

And this time the screams were _not_ the excited type.

* * *

"...so Brooke also had to stay behind- oh score!-and Lucas had some lame ass excuse, so that's how we ended up doing the whole road trip thing together." 

"That's random- Ooh! 3-pointer!- So, you and Hales a couple? She seems cool." Tony said.

Nathan and Tony were sitting on the living room coaches playing Playstation while the girls were in the dressing room.

"Oh, dude. She's the best." Nathan said and looked towards the dressing room where he knew she was. He turned to look at the 42" plasma TV again when he heard Tony whooping.

"Nice!" Tony yelled while making an awesome shot and taking the lead.

"Dammit." Nathan said but kept playing. "So, you got drafted straight from high school?"

"Yeah, I had really bad grades and college didn't interest me much so I decided to just skip it." Tony said.

"Right decision?"

"For me? Back then? Maybe. But dude, trust me when I say that if there's any chance of college working out for you, don't drop it. Basketball careers end more quickly than you can hear your ACL toring. So, stick with it. It'll pay off in the future."

"So-" Nathan started but got cut off by a bunch of loud screams from the dressing room.

Missing the horrified voices and thinking that the girls were excited about something again, they dismissed it quickly and turned the volume of the TV up.

"So, how long have you and Solaris been dating?" Nathan asked ignoring the loud voices from the room.

"We're both from Minneapolis and we used to have the same baby sitter when we were kids. Neither of us really remembers those times but we've seen plenty of pictures. Anyways, we didn't really hang out in the same crowd at school because she was 3 years younger. She moved to New York, I moved to Los Angeles. We met a year ago when we were doing a photoshoot together for Sports Illustrated. I thought she was hot so I asked her out and that's how it began. We had no idea that we'd been friends as kids."

"Dude, that's like..."

"...destiny. I know. You should've seen the looks on our moms' faces when they found out about it. You think that they are excited today? Not even close."

"That must be fun."

"Yeah, our moms are the best."

* * *

"What the hell is this?!" 

"Is this some kind of a cruel joke?!"

"That's not what we paid for... right?"

"What are we supposed to do?"

"My sister's wedding is ruined!"

"This is a nightmare... Please, pinch me and say that it's just a nightmare!"

Haley was cornered by the furious moms, the confused bridesmaids and the devastated bride. She tried to calm everyone down but couldn't, what with the 8 people yelling at her. She looked at the women in front of her, the gorgeous dress with the ripped strap and silently cursed Brooke.

Damn Brooke for forcing her to the road trip and take care of her customers. Now she was being cornered by 8 very angry and loud women who were more than willing to scratch her to death or at least rip her left arm half off, so it would be hanging nastily, just like the strap on the dress was.

But that fear didn't even compare to the guilt she felt. Just one look at the miserable bride got Haley emotional. Haley had been dreaming about her own wedding since she was a little girl and couldn't even imagine what Solaris must have been feeling like at the eve of her wedding.

Haley looked at the sobbing Solaris again and then at the other 7 women with newfound bravery and determination. She put her index and middle finger in her mouth and whistled as loud as possible. The women immediately quit talking and yelling, partly because of the determined look on Haley's face but mostly because their ears were hurting from the whistle.

"Everyone, please relax." Haley said.

Solaris's mom, Diane, looked at her angrily and was about to say something but Haley was faster. "Please, give me a minute."

Diane closed her mouth and crossed her hands over her chest.

"Thank you." Haley said. "First of all, I am _so_ sorry this is happening to you, especially this close to the wedding. I can guarantee you that neither was this intentional, nor did Brooke or I know about this. I understand how urgent this matter is and trust me, I will not rest or give up until this issue is solved." She said.

She looked at the ripped strap again and examined it delicately.

"Luckily, there's a silver lining to every cloud. As you can see, that even though the strap has ripped, it didn't rip any of the actual material from the dress. It is relatively easy to sew back on, or if you'd like, we can take both of the straps off and make it into a strapless dress." Haley said calmly.

Haley smiled to herself when she noticed that all the women were now calm and listening to her carefully. Few of them even looked at each other with excited grins at the mention of the possibility of a strapless dress.

"And you think you have good enough skills to fix this?" Diane asked much more calm now, but still hesitating.

"I'm no Brooke but yes, I can fix this. I helped her with all of her wedding dresses so I know what to do. I don't care how long it'll take me to get it perfect, I'll do it. If it means that I'm standing next to you on the altar with the needle while you say your 'I dos', then so be it." Haley said but then added quickly. "But don't worry, I'll have it fixed long before that. So, what do you think?" she asked from Solaris.

"I think I trust you." Solaris said with a smile and then turned to look at her friends and family. "Come on, cheer up! What kind of a wedding would this be if there were no last minute catastrophes?"

"She's right." Alexis said. "And we'll help Haley. What do you need?"

"Ok, I need someone to get the car keys from Nathan, go to the parking lot to a black SUV and take a red bag from the back seats." Haley said and smiled when Molly and Alexis immediately saluted her and left.

"I need someone to get Brooke on the phone and put her on speaker phone. I need her with me and I also work better under stress." Haley said while setting the delicate dress on the huge table and arranging it so it was the easiest for her to work.

"I need someone to make sure the guys, especially Nathan, stay out of here. No distractions!" Haley said pointedly.

"And the last and definitely the most important thing is for everyone to stay calm. No screaming, crying, whining, running or sudden movements. I mean it. Talk, walk and act like you are in a church." Haley said looking pointedly at the rest of the people in the room.

She turned to look Solaris's mom, Diane.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing. Brooke prepared me well enough for a crisis like this."

Diane nodded her head slowly. She didn't exactly trust that Haley-girl yet but she had faith on her crisis solving skills. Diane and Susan, the moms, sat back on the other side of the room on the couch to let the girls have their space.

"I have Brooke on speaker phone." Lauren announced while holding the phone towards Haley.

"Thanks. Hey Tigger, it's Hales. Don't freak out but we have a tiny problem."

* * *

"Car keys, Nathan." Molly said as she and Alexis stormed into the living room where the boys were. 

"Huh?" Nathan asked and looked confused at the two girls he had never seen before.

When it was obvious that the girls were not planning on explaining themselves, Nathan turned to look at Tony who just shrugged his shoulders not even bothering to ask what was going on. He knew that not only would they tell him nothing, but they also wouldn't let him do anything about the situation.

"Haley's orders." Alexis said annoyed when Nathan was not handing out the keys immediately.

"Is she ok?" Nathan asked worried.

"Of course. Car keys."

"But-"

"Car keys!"

"I-"

"NOW!"

"Fine, take them." He said and threw the keys to the impatient girls. A second later the girls were already out of the apartment.

"Jeez! What the hell was that about?" Nathan asked.

"No idea. But I have a feeling that we don't wanna know. Just don't ask any questions, do what they say and stay the hell out of their way." Tony said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I've been through this a million times. Whenever something's going on and they don't specifically ask you for something, just stay out of it. Always."¨

"But what if-" Nathan tried but Tony just looked at him seriously.

"_Always_."

"Fine." Nathan said not liking the fact that something involving Haley might be going on and he didn't know about it.

"Dude, trust me. There's nothing we can do. And whatever's going on, it's gonna be a while. So, you wanna watch a game or something? We get over 300 channels."

"Ok, sounds good..."

"Great. So, just sit back and relax."

"Are you sure-?"

"Always, Nathan, always."

* * *

After explaining the situation to Brooke (and turning the volume of the cell phone down when she started to scream), Haley managed to calm down Brooke and get her back on the track. Few minutes later Molly and Alexis came back with the red bag. 

Haley started to work on the dress with the help of all the girls and the impatient Brooke on the other end of the line.

"...so, now I'm carefully starting to sew the-"

"_Be carefull_!" Brooke screamed on the phone.

Haley, who fortunately had not touched the dress with the needle yet, flinched at the loud voice. Everyone in the room gasped at the sudden movement Haley made and looked at her and the dress with worried looks.

"Goddammit, Brooke!" Haley said while holding the needle with shaky hands as her heart pounded against her chest. "No. Screaming." She said slowly through gritted teeth.

"_Sorry_." Brooke said weakly.

"It's ok. No one panics." Haley said and took a deep breath. "Ok, let's start this again. I'm starting to sew the strap back on now."

Her face about an inch from the dress, Haley started move the needle slowly on the material. After few minutes she looked at the work she had made so far and breathed out.

"It's looking good." Haley said with a smile and everyone cheered. "The color is perfect, it totally blends with the rest of the material. The only thing I'm worried that the sewing is not equal to the other strap."

"Thank god the strap ripped from the back so even if it is not completely similar to the right strap, you can only tell the difference from the back." Solaris said while looking over Haley's shoulder at her dress.

Haley continued to sew as the rest of the room held their breaths and watched in awe as her hands moved smoothly and slowly on the delicate material.

About 10 minutes later Haley stopped working on the dress. She put the needle and examined the strap carefully. Few minutes later she turned to look at everyone.

"It's done."

Haley smiled as the whole room clapped their hands and cheered. Solaris's mom, who had not said a word in minutes, got up from the other side of the room and slowly made her way to where the dress was. Haley held her breath as Diane examined the dress carefully. She then turned to look at Haley with a smile.

"It's perfect."

"Thank you." Haley said relieved and grabbed the cell phone. "You heard that Brooke? Crisis solved."

"_Good job, Hales. Talk to you later_."

"Bye." Haley said and hung up the phone. "So, I guess that's my cue to leave."

"You must come to the wedding! You totally saved our butts." Solaris said.

"Oh, that's not necessary. Besides, it was our fault that there was a crisis to begin with." Haley said even though she still had no idea how the hell the strap could've gotten ripped.

"No, no, you should! It's gonna be so much fun." Alexis said.

"You must have the seating charts and everything finished already." Haley said.

"We'll put the Stones' together with Clarkson's and the Donner's." Molly said.

"And we'll move the Fitzpatrick's to their own table." Emily said.

"You and Nathan can sit with our friends." Solaris said.

"I don't know..." Haley said hesitatingly.

"We insist." Diane said with a smile.

"Okay, what the hell. We'd love to come to your wedding." Haley said smiling.

"Awesome! The wedding is held tomorrow in Saint Louise church at 3 pm and the reception here in the Palms grand ball room." Solaris said.

"Sounds awesome." Haley said and looked at her watch. "We should probably get going. Nathan has some friends he wants to meet tonight."

"Yeah, no problem. We'll see you two tomorrow at 3 pm." Solaris said.

They all went to the living room where the guys were busy watching basketball and yelling stuff that should've been censored.

"What the hell is that?! Throw the fucki-"

Both Solaris and Tony's moms cleared their throats loudly when Tony was about to yell something that would've earned him a mouth wash.

"Oh, hey mom. Diane." Tony said embarrassed as he turned the volume down.

"Is everything alright?" Nathan asked from Haley.

"Oh, it is perfect." Solaris said throwing her arm around Haley's shoulders. "Haley here has quite the talent and she totally saved our asses."

"Great. I hope it's okay but I invited Nathan and Haley to our wedding." Tony said.

"Already did it." Solaris said smiling.

"We should probably get going." Haley said. "But thank you so much for the invitation and sorry again about the crisis."

"Don't worry about anything. I'll see you both tomorrow." Solaris said and hugged her.

Nathan and Haley said their goodbyes and left.

"What was that about? What crisis? Are you ok? Why didn't you ask me to help you?" Nathan asked as they made their way to their car.

"It was just a little wedding dress crisis. And I doubt you would've been any help, what with all the sewing and everything."

"Ok, true. So, everything ok now?"

"Yeah, perfect. So, what's the plan for tonight?" Haley asked.

"We're in Vegas, what do you think?" Nathan said grinning.

He turned to look at Haley with a grin when she still looked confused.

"We're playing poker, baby."

* * *

So, any thoughts on the chapter? I know it was kinda short and didn't have much Naley action but I hope you liked it anyways. :) 

Last night I finished writing this story. There's gonna be two more chapters and the epilogue. To give you some clue to what to expect, the titles of the chapters are: "Mindless Hearts/Heartless Minds", "Day 10" and "Our Journey (Epilogue)". :) And if you noticed the title of this chapter, you'll know that next chapter will be drama, drama, drama... :)

Happy Independence Day to everyone who's celebrating it today. (In Finland we don't celebrate until December 6th.) :) Ciao!!

-Fes-


	14. Heartless Minds & Mindless Hearts

Hey, everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing, means the world to me!! Anywhoo, here's chapter 14. Hope you enjoy. :)

* * *

Quote of the day: Sex and the City

Carrie: I'm thinking balls are to men, what purses are to women. It's just a little bag but we'd feel naked in public without it.

* * *

Chapter 14. Mindless Hearts/Heartless Minds.

Day 9, Las Vegas.

_Hiya, diary. I promised to give you an update about the last wedding dress customer. Remember the previous two? Bitchy, coke addict, model sluts? So, imagine my surprise when the third one turned out to be a complete sweetheart! Seriously, Solaris is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She didn't even kill me when we realized that the wedding dress that I delivered only one day before her wedding, had a ripped strap. _

_Yep, talk about crisis. But no worries, yours truly took care of that lil' problem and now the whole family loves me! They even invited me and Nathan to their wedding which is tomorrow. Nathan and I just came back to the hotel to change quickly for the poker night that we're leaving for soon._

_I know this sounds corny but I can't believe how fast these past 9 days have gone. It started with me and Nathan completely hating each other's guts to getting to know one another and now we're both actually enjoying spending time together._

_I love hanging out with him and I've gotta admit, he's pretty easy on the eyes. Talk about a hot body!_

_Nathan's become one of my best friends and I trust him with my life. I really can't imagine how I've ever lived without him. Who knew!_

Day 9, 8.30 pm.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Haley asked as she closed the hotel room door and walked behind Nathan towards the elevator.

After taking the wedding dress to Solaris and solving the crisis with the ripped strap, Haley and Nathan had driven back to their hotel room. After resting, changing and eating they were on their way to the poker game that one of Nathan's friends was holding.

The theme of the poker night was James Bond, meaning that all the guys wore suits and the girls had cocktail dresses or something similar.

Haley had chosen a dark purple halter-neck, knee-length dress with a low cut that she had worn to her graduation. (AN: think the dark purple Roberto Cavalli dress on Vesper in 007: Casino Royale :) ) Nathan had a suit jacket and jeans.

"The casino is called 'Shanghai City' and it's almost on the Strip. The parents of one of the High Flyers player's co-own it. They've reserved a small, private game room for us."

"But none of us is 21 yet." Haley said.

"As long as everyone has some sort of a fake id that says you're 21, they're ok with it. Besides, it's not like we'll be playing with big bets."

"Ok, sounds cool. But you have to promise not to ditch me." Haley said.

"I won't. Besides, there's gonna be at least one person besides me that you know." Nathan said.

"Who?"

"Tim."

"Smith? What the hell?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, he just called me last. He flew out earlier 'cause he has his grandma's 80th birthday tomorrow and it's like less than an hour from here. He's spending the night here in Vegas."

"Cool." Haley said excited to know that she would have at least one friend in addition to Nathan.

"But I've gotta warn you. The guy whose parents own the place is a total asshole. So, watch out."

"Thanks for the heads up." Haley said and clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "God, I can't wait to play poker. It feels like forever since my previous game."

"You're not playing tonight." Nathan said.

"What? Why?" Haley asked confused.

"It's a 300-dollar buy-in. I'm not letting you lose that money. Some of the guys have been playing for years." Nathan said.

"Thanks, that's sweet. But how about you let me handle my own money?" Haley said with a knowing smirk.

"I know you don't have extra 300 bucks, Haley." Nathan said.

Haley's eyes narrowed as she looked at him. Not coming from money had always been a sore subject for Haley. Not that she was embarrassed or anything, in fact she was proud that she wasn't a spoiled little brat who knew nothing about real life and the value of money. Haley just hated when people based their opinions on how rich the other person was.

"You don't know anything about me."

"I've been spending every single minute for the past 9 days with you. You usually never eat out and you always buy groceries because it's cheaper. You don't mind wearing the same jeans or shirt again before washing them. You always turn the lights or the TV off when leaving the room and you take shorter showers than any other girl I've ever met. And I bet that thanks to your economical driving, we've saved gallons of gas on this trip."

Haley looked straight ahead, her lips pursed tightly together.

"So, you know I'm poor. Congrats." She said dryly.

"Hey, I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just trying to look after you and I think that losing 300 bucks for a stupid poker game is not worth it." Nathan said apologetically.

"Whatever, I'm still playing." She said stubbornly while crossing her arms over her chest. "And if you're so concerned with losing money, maybe _you _shouldn't play."

"Why would I do that? I'm planning on winning the game." Nathan said.

"We'll see about that." Haley muttered to herself.

* * *

"The game is No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. Blinds are 15 and 30. Antes 10."

Nathan gathered his chips in front of him and looked around the table. He and Haley had made it to the casino and the game on time and though Haley was still not talking to him, he couldn't wait to actually start the game.

Haley looked around the room in awe. The room where the game was held was a private game room. They had their own bar, own bartenders and comfortable couches for hanging out in the corner of the room. Haley looked at the six guys around the table, arranging their chips into piles in silence, trying to mentally prepare themselves for the game.

She was the only girl playing and Haley was more than happy about it. It was much easier to work her charm and flirt if there were only boys around. All the other girls in the room were either sitting in the bar or smoking by the couches.

The other girls had briefly instructed Haley to use all of her feminine charm when they had learned that for once a girl was playing. Haley smiled to herself when she remembered all the girls gushing around her, pulling her dress a bit lower to show more cleavage and giving her tips on the weak spots on their boyfriends. _Charlie totally digs butts so be sure to drop something on the floor and pick it up slowly._

The girls, who were used to hanging out in the casino watching their friends and boyfriends play and fight, were for once excited to watch the game. Haley had promised to do her best to make the girls proud.

Haley glanced at Nathan who was sitting next to her and was looking at her with a mixture of annoyance and pride.

"You can still back out, you know." Nathan said.

He had played poker with the guys before and knew how the games had ended every single time; cheating accusations, yelling, smack talk, mind games, manipulation and even a few punches had been thrown.

He had explained all that to Haley and she had still insisted on playing. She had said that she could take care of herself and that he should trust her. Besides, it's not like the guys would attack a girl. _And I probably won't even last too long considering I'm a girl playing Texas Hold Em with 6 guys, right?_ Haley had said sarcastically.

"Not gonna happen." She said to Nathan stubbornly. "Drop it. _I mean it_."

"No offence, but how the hell are you planning on winning against six guys?" Nathan asked. "And no, I didn't mean that just because you're a girl, you can't win. I meant that all the guys have played for years. They can read people, find out their weakness. Do you even know the rules?"

Haley looked at Nathan annoyed how little faith in her he had.

"You wanna know how I'm planning on winning?" she asked quietly. "Fine. Watch and learn, buddy." She said and turned to look at the whole table with a sweet smile.

"How y'all doing?" she asked with a sugary voice while leaning on the table to make sure her cleavage was visible.

The guys around the table smiled back brightly and said their heys. Nathan noticed that all the guys who had just a second ago been in their own world concentrating on the upcoming game and keeping their game face on, were now smiling brightly at Haley and talking to her openly. Nick, one of the best players, even took his sunglasses off to talk to her. _He never takes those off! Not even to go to bathroom in the middle of the game._

"Ok, everyone ready to start?" the dealer asked.

When everyone nodded, Haley turned to look at Nathan quickly.

"And _that_'_s_ how I'm gonna win." She hissed.

"Small blind, please." The dealer said looking at Haley.

She looked around in confusion.

"Huh? Who's blind?"

All the guys laughed out loud and looked at her with kind smiles. She was so clueless that few of the guys even felt bad for letting her play. Nathan shook his head in a defeated manner, knowing that letting Haley play was a bad idea.

"Small blind and big blind are an amount of chips that on every round two players have to pay. Now, it's your turn to put the small blind because you're first from the dealer." Tim explained.

"Thanks, Tim." Haley said and gave him a quick half hug that earned a jealous glare from Nathan. "You guys have to help me out a bit. I'm still a bit new to this game. So, one of these?" she asked holding one chip on her hand.

"That's the one. Don't worry, we'll help you through it." Charlie said reassuringly.

"Thanks." She said and winked at the guys. Again, Nathan couldn't help the jealous feeling he got when she was smiling to all the other guys.

"Yeah no problem, hot cheeks. I'd be more than happy to help you and do much, _much_ more to you." Damien said with a cocky grin and winked at her.

Haley looked at Damien West, the kid whose parents owned the place and who Nathan had warned her about. She gave him a forced smile before looking at her cards again. All the guys looked at Damien with annoyed looks, Nathan definitely being the most obvious.

It was no secret that everyone in the room despised Damien and that the only reason he was there was because his parents owned the place.

"How about you leave her alone, West?" Nathan snapped at Damien.

"Jeez, take it easy. Just making conversation with our lovely little girly here." Damien said.

Haley's head whipped up to glare at him for a second, wanting nothing else but to smack him for calling her 'girly'. She took a deep breath and managed to calm herself down.

"Why don't you keep your shit to yourself for once?" Nathan said getting more and more angry every time Damien looked at Haley's direction.

Nathan knew Damien was a dick and his dirty eyes roaming all over Haley's body was beyond infuriating. And it certainly didn't help that with the revealing dress, the simple but gorgeous hairdo and the perfect smoky eye makeup, she looked absolutely stunning.

"Hey, calm down." Haley said quietly and set her hand on his thigh, drawing a few soothing circles on it.

Nathan looked at his thigh where Haley's hand was and took in a shaky breath. Feeling sparkles all over her hand, she snapped her hand back on the table like it had burned. She coughed uncomfortably and looked at him.

"Don't worry about him." She whispered.

"Yeah, don't worry." Damien who had heard her, taunted Nathan.

"Fine, whose turn?" Nathan asked.

"Yours."

"Fine." Nathan said looking at his cards and the three cards on the table. 2, 5 and Jack. "Call."

"Haley?" Tim asked.

Instead of keeping the two cards on the table and looking at them as carefully as possible, she grabbed both of her cards and held them on her hands in front of her face like you would when playing a normal card game.

With a sigh, Nathan grabbed her cards and put them back on the table as all the guys laughed.

"Keep them on the table, otherwise both Tim and Nathan can see what you have." Andy said.

"Ah, ok. Now I get why they do that. Thanks, darling'." She said while playing with her hair innocently.

Nathan coughed loudly and glared at Andy when he winked at her.

As carefully as possible, Haley lifted the cards on the table to see what she had. She bit her lip in an innocent manner as she looked at them for the longest time.

"Is Ace one or fourteen?" she asked and the guys laughed again.

"Haley!" Nathan said. "Don't tell us what you have!"

"Jeez, I was just asking." Haley said pouting. "Fine, I fold." She said throwing the cards on the table, face up.

She had an Ace and a King.

"That's a good hand!" Nathan yelled as the rest of the table laughed again.

"But they were different color!" she defended.

The guys were laughing so hard that few of them were practically in tears. The girls shook their heads sadly while ordering more drinks for themselves.

"Besides, it's not like your cards are that good either." Haley said to Nathan. "Why the hell are you still playing with a five and a Q?"

"Haley!" Nathan yelled and had no choice but the throw his cards on the center of the table to fold. "Bartender! Vodka!" he yelled while rubbing his temples with closed eyes.

This time, few of the guys almost passed because of the lack of oxygen for laughing so hard.

Few hours later...

"Ok, let's have a fifteen minute break." The dealer announced.

"Yay!" Haley cheered happily and got up.

Nathan glared and shoved a few guys angrily when they watched Haley's ass as she joined the girls on the other side of the room.

They had played for over 2 hours now. Haley had kept the table laughing and the atmosphere light while flirting with everyone and making everyone laugh which had not been easy on Nathan. He didn't know who he wanted to beat up more, the guys for flirting with her and himself so he didn't have to watch it anymore.

When it came to the game, both Nathan and Haley were doing good. She had lost a few hands but had had amazing beginner's luck. Charlie, Andy and Nick had lost all of their chips and dropped out and were now taking full advantage of the open bar.

Haley, Nathan, Tim and Damien who were still in the game were more than eager to win the prize of 2 grand. Tim was almost out of his chips after a few unlucky river cards while Nathan, Haley and Damien had about the same amount of chips left.

"I'm gonna head to the bathroom. Get me beer." Nathan said as Haley and Tim stayed on the line to the bar.

Tim watched closely at Haley who watched Nathan walk away. He smiled when he saw the passionate look on her face, similar to the one Nathan had whenever he had looked at her.

"So, you and Nathan... Is it serious?" Tim asked straight up.

"Huh?" Haley asked confused.

"Are you two serious?"

"Wha- Oh, we're not dating."

"Not officially. But apparently you don't need to 'go steady' to be in a relationship." He said with the air quotes.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Haley said with an uncomfortable voice.

Tim looked at Haley more carefully. Just that moment Nathan came out of the bathroom and stopped to say something to one of the girls, one of the few _single_ girls in the room.

"Bitch." Haley muttered when the girl laughed at something Nathan said.

Tim turned to look at Haley surprised, but what he saw in Haley's eyes surprised him more than what she had said. Jealousy. Caring. _Passion._

"You like him." Tim said looking at Haley.

"What? Of course I do, who wouldn't." Haley said.

"No, you _like him,_ like him. As in, you can't stop thinking about him and you wanna spend every minute of every hour with him."

Haley looked at Tim with those deer in headlights eyes but then shook her head.

"You're crazy." Haley said and sighed in relief when it was her turn to order drinks. "Something strong!"

After getting her drink, she quickly made her way to where the girls were, wanting to get away from Tim.

"So, good game, Haley." The girls said when she joined them by the couches.

"Thanks, but it's still a long ways till the end." Haley said.

"Well, you've still made it further than any other girl before." Jessica, Nick's girlfriend said.

"I've been lucky." She said smiling to herself.

"Well see how far that'll take you." Nathan said with a sour voice behind them.

"Don't be an ass." Haley said and took a sip from her drink.

"Whatcha drinking?" Kim asked to change the subject.

"Sex on the beach." Haley said.

"Sure, anytime you want." Damien said with a wink, coming out of nowhere and unfortunately for her, sat down next to her.

Haley looked at Nathan and saw him glaring at Damien in fury.

"I was just saying the name of my drink." Haley said and smiled politely.

"Sure, but my offer still stands." Damien said and threw his hands over her shoulders.

She quickly shook his hand away knowing that Nathan would flip out very soon.

"I think I'm gonna check on the rest of the guys." Haley said and got up quickly.

Wanting to get away from Damien, she joined the rest of the guys who were smoking cigars in the other side of the room.

"Hey, guys." She said with a cheery voice.

"Hey, gorgeous." Andy said with a wink.

"Want some?" Charlie asked offering his cigar.

"No thanks, I don't smoke." She said and sat on the hand rest of the couch and crossed her legs.

"So, gotta boyfriend?" Andy asked not being able to take his eyes off of her smooth, shiny legs.

"Nope, free as a bird." She smiled and almost laughed out loud when he kept looking at her legs.

"Not long if I have anything to do with it." Damien said coming up next to her. Too close, in Haley's mind.

_Jeez, stalker much?_ Haley thought.

"So, having fun playing?" Charlie asked when he saw Haley's uncomfortable look.

"Yeah, it's been a blast. I've been lucky." She said.

"Luck won't be enough." Nathan said joining the group.

"Don't start again." Haley warned him. _Ok, what is it with those two following me?_ Haley thought looking at Nathan and Damien.

"Start what? Not wanting to make you lose all your money?"

"Trust me, Nathan." Haley said pointedly and tried to signal him with her eyes to drop the subject.

"I'm just being realistic. You're gonna lose all your money and than you're gonna wish you'd listened to me." Nathan said.

"Look, I'm trying to have fun. Don't ruin it." Haley said to him and stood up wanting to leave.

She was seriously thinking of hiding in the bathroom 'til the game continued. She wanted to stay away from Damien so Nathan would stay calm. She had to stay away from Nathan because she didn't want to fight with him. And lastly, she needed to stay away from Tim because apparently he had the ability to read her like an open book.

Instead of the bathroom, she decided to join the girls table again because none of the before mentioned guys were there.

She tried to pass Nathan but he took a hold of her arm.

"I'm just trying to look after you!" he said.

"Why don't you trust me when I say it's gonna be ok!" Haley said frustrated.

"Why don't you trust me when I say it's not!"

"Why do you always have to be such an ass when things don't go your way?"

"Why do you always have to try to prove yourself?" Nathan yelled.

Their voices were growing with every word and soon the whole room was staring at them.

"I'm not! I'm just trying to enjoy the night!"

"You're being someone you're not!"

"I'm just trying to have fun!"

"By flirting with all the guys in the room?! Giggling and laughing? Shaking your ass and playing with your hair?! You're acting like a whor-"

Nathan fell silent when he realized what he was about to say. He didn't need to finish the sentence though because everyone knew how it would've ended.

All the girls gasped in horror and glared at Nathan in anger, their hands crossed over their chests. The guys shook their heads sadly, knowing that Nathan had just crossed the line and there was no saving him. He was about to be scratched to death.

Everyone stared at Haley in silence waiting to see her reaction. Standing only few feet from him, she slowly shook her hand away from his grasp while swallowing the lump from her throat which didn't go unnoticed by Nathan.

He looked at her with an apologetic, scared look. He had never felt shittier, not even when he had seen her break down after being betrayed by Chris Keller. Realizing that, he wanted to hit himself for being so stupid. But first, he'd have to apologize.

"Hale-"

She cut his apology off with a hard slap on his face.

"Acting like a _what_?!" she screamed.

"I didn't mean that, I'm so sor-"

"Don't you _dare_." Haley said shoving him in the chest with a shaky voice.

She took a second to look around and saw that the whole room including the dealer and the bartenders were staring at her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to calm herself down.

Though Nathan deserved the beating of the century, she wasn't keen on making a scene in front of the whole room. Taking another deep breath, she finally opened her eyes and looked at him desperately on the verge of tears.

"You're so goddamm clueless." Haley said in such a quiet voice that only he could hear it.

"What are you talking about?" he asked confused.

"You think this is the real me?" she asked swallowing the lump again and trying to desperately get him to understand.

"Huh? I'm lost." Nathan said.

"Let's continue." The dealer announced.

Haley looked at Nathan one more time trying to make some sense into him.

"You're letting your fucking ego control your mind. What does your heart say?"

"What?" he asked even more confused.

"Open your eyes, Nathan." She said in disappointment and walked back to the table.

He watched in confusion as she walked back.

"Whatta..." he mumbled more confused than he'd ever been.

"Not cool, Nathan." Jessica said and kicked him in the ankle while walking past him to the bar.

"I hope you lose." Kim hissed while 'accidentally' spilling some of her drink on him.

"Dude, you're making it almost too easy for me." Damien said grinning while walking past him to the poker table.

Tim, who was walking behind him grabbed Nathan's hand when he was about to attack Damien.

"Nate! What the hell's the matter with you?! Damien's just pushing your buttons. And what comes to Haley? Dude, chill the fuck out! Are you fucking blind or just stupid? She's just playing the game!"

Nathan followed them slowly to the table and sat on his seat next to Haley. He looked at her for few seconds realizing how stupid he had been. Why he hadn't realized, that she was just playing the game, was something he'd never understand. And now that he thought about it, she hadn't even been that flirty at all; just few giggles and smiles. _Few giggles and smiles too much_, Nathan thought solemnly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her.

"No, you're not." She said without looking at him while arranging her chips in front of her.

And she was right. Kind of.

Nathan was sorry for being such an ass to her but he certainly wasn't sorry for his reasons of being an asshole and jealous. He couldn't help it but every time someone as much as hugged her or talked to her, he got blinded by over-protectiveness and jealousy. He still wanted nothing more than to beat the living daylight out of Damien and anyone who dared to even glance at her.

"We're upping the blinds. 20 and 40." The dealer announced.

"Good, maybe the weak ones will lose now." She said sarcastically while looking straight at Nathan who looked at her apologetically.

"Here you go, hon." Kim said and brought Haley her drink that she had left on the table in the midst of fighting with Nathan.

"Thanks." She said with a smile.

"Cheers. And beat the guys." Kim said before leaving.

"I'll try my best." She said and smiled back.

"I can't believe you could be so mean to her, Nathan." Damien said and smirked cockily when Nathan looked at him furiously.

Nathan looked between Haley and Damien, wondering if she'd be mad, if he killed Damien. Haley looked at Nathan, waiting him to make his move.

Had she not been there, he would've probably already attacked Damien but knowing that violence would only piss her off more, he decided to take Tim's advice: to chill the fuck out.

"Why don't we concentrate on the game here." Nathan said and smiled to himself when Haley gave him a thankful nod.

"Still, Haley's such a sweet, nice girl. Raise." Damien said while throwing some chips in the middle.

"Yes, she is. So, why don't you leave her alone?" Nathan suggested.

"Me? I'm not the one who called her a whore and got slapped." Damien said with a smirk.

Haley merely rolled her eyes at the stupidity of the guys. She was sick of being forced to witness the pissing contest between the guys. She smiled to herself when she knew just the way to end it.

"Hey, which one was better again? Q or J?" she asked with a sweet, dumb Jessica Simpson –look.

"It goes 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace." Tim said and smiled to her when Nathan and Damien turned their attention on her.

"Okay, then I raise." Haley said and threw some chips in the middle.

* * *

They had played over an hour since the break now and Tim had just lost his chips. Nathan was doing poorly and could only blame himself. Even though he had had plenty of good opportunities and had even decided to try to be cool about Damien's taunting, his cockiness and obsession to beat Damien had killed his game. Damien knew that and was taking full advantage of it.

Damien was a good player, no wonder since he had been playing almost his entire life in his parents' casino. He knew how to read people and find out their weaknesses and then use them to his advantage. And in Nathan's case you didn't need a professional to realize his weakness. Even a blind, 3-year-old who'd never even met Nathan, could see his weakness clearly.

_Haley_.

So, Damien had taunted Nathan as much as he could, forcing him to make stupid, irrational game decisions and it had worked perfectly. Haley wanted to help Nathan, she really did. She had told him over and over again to stay cool and play smart but it was like talking to a deaf person.

Haley wasn't mad about the fight anymore, not at all. Just disappointed. But she wasn't stupid either, she knew why he had been acting like that because it was the same way she acted when girls approached Nathan. She knew he was jealous and was acting on that feeling. But what she didn't know was the reason for his jealousy.

Haley thought that the only reason for Nathan's jealousy was because they were such good friends and he didn't want to see her get hurt. She thought that he had developed a big brother complex, like Lucas had. Not to even mention her brothers threatening Nathan with bodily harm, if he let something happen to her.

After witnessing the whole fall down with Chris, it would've been no wonder that Nathan tried to keep her away from guys. And the fact that Nathan had a hero complex didn't help the situation at all. He was both possessive and obsessed and since having spent 9 days with her, he was used to her always being with him and him only.

This was all true and she knew it. But what she didn't know was the true reason behind his jealousy, the true reason behind her _own_ jealousy. It was something that they both should've known for a long time now, something that all the others had already seen and told them. Many times. And yet, they were still oblivious about it.

The attraction between them was so strong that it had blinded them completely. They liked each other more than friends do and hell of a lot more than enemies do and somewhere deep inside of them, they both knew that but neither was ready to admit it yet. So, they continued their never-ending cat and mouse game with the awkward silences and muffled feelings.

"So, Natey-boy. Whatcha gonna do?" Damien asked when he had just raised again.

"Don't listen to him." Haley said after folding. "Just fold it if don't have it."

"Yeah, just fold." Damien said mocking her voice. "Just give up, Nathan. Give it _all_ up." He said clearly not just talking about the game.

Damien glanced quickly at Haley who was staring at the cards on the table. He licked his lips and then turned to look at Nathan with a I'm-so-gonna-hook-up-with-her –look.

"All in." Nathan said glaring at Damien.

"Nathan!" Haley said annoyed that he was being so irrational.

"I call." Damien said quickly and turned to look at the bar where the rest were drinking. "Hey, Nathan's all in!"

Soon everyone was as close to the table as the dealer would let them. The girls couldn't be more excited that Haley was still in the game and based on the amount of chips, she wasn't doing too bad either.

"Okay, let's see what you have." The dealer said.

The flop and the turn card were already on the table: 4, 7, Jack, Queen.

Nathan turned his cards around showing his Queen and 10.

"Pair of queens." He said confident that they were good enough.

With an annoyed glare, Damien turned his cards around. King and a Jack.

"A smaller pair, jacks." The dealer said and Nathan cheered.

"So, did he win?" Jessica asked confused.

"Nathan has better odds." Nick explained to his girlfriend. "Depends on the last card though. Damien needs to get a King or another Jack to survive."

"Let's see the river now." The dealer said and turned around the last card. A King.

"Yeah!" Damien yelled and stood up. "In your face!" he yelled at Nathan.

"Goddammit!" Nathan yelled and hit the table hard with his fist.

"You can only blame yourself, Nathan." Haley muttered.

"Sorry I lost my cool." He said disappointed in himself.

"Your loss." Haley said.

"Good luck." He said and stood up from the table and took a few feet back where the others were standing and watching the game.

"Upping the blinds, 50 and 100." The dealer announced.

"So, I guess it's just you and me left, sweetie." Damien said with a wink.

"I guess so." She said with a sigh. Gone was the flirty, cheery voice. She couldn't despise Damien any more than she already did and giving him the satisfaction of flirting was definitely out of the question.

"So, how can a pretty little _thang_ such as you be single?" he asked while throwing some chips in the center.

"No reason." She said politely while looking at her chips in front of her.

"Well, you must be dying to spend some time with a real man after all this time with the Natey-boy." He said and winked at Haley who looked like she was about to throw up.

"Why don't you shut the hell up!" Nathan yelled from the back.

"Hey, you're out of the game." Damien said with a cocky grin that both disgusted Haley and infuriated Nathan.

"It doesn't mean that I can't kick your ass!" Nathan said and Tim had to hold him back again so he wouldn't attack Damien.

"Guys, stop it. I'm sick of you two fighting." Haley said.

"Yeah, listen to the girl, she's right. We shouldn't be fighting." Damien said in a voice that clearly meant the opposite.

"Just stop talking and concentrate on the game." Haley snapped at Damien.

"But, I'm sure-" Damien started.

"The game, West! The game!" Nathan yelled and Haley nodded her head in agreement.

"What's with the hostility, Scott?" Damien asked in a taunting voice as Haley sighed irritated. "Really Nathan, I don't know what your problem is. We shouldn't fight. Unlike that one song by the Dixie Chicks, I _am_ ready to make nice… to myself... Or even better, maybe one of those Chicks could make nice to my dic-"

"If you finish that sentence I swear to god my 4-inch-stilettos will make sure you won't be able to reproduce." Haley snapped, finally having enough of him. "Which you seriously should consider skipping anyways."

The girls started laughing out loud while the guys ooh-ed.

Haley was finally sick of Damien being a sexist, chauvinist bully with nothing better to do than annoy the hell out of everyone else. Damien looked at Haley with a glare. How dare she talk to him like that!

"I mean, think about the world, Damien." Haley continued not being able to stop the words from coming. "It's bad enough that we have global warming, cancer and AIDS but to add your offspring to the mix? That just might be the last straw." She said and smiled sweetly.

Haley knew that she had just totally blown her "innocent, stupid, sweet girl" -cover but she didn't really care anymore. Damien totally deserved it all after being a pain in the ass and harassing Nathan.

"You little-" Damien glared at Haley.

"I'd reconsider the next few words that come out of your mouth." Nathan said his fingers already curled in balls, more than ready to leave their marks on Damien's face.

Damien took a few angry breaths before finally giving Haley an evil smirk.

"So, the gloves come off." Damien said and started to clap his hands slowly. "Oh, snap girl. It's not like I would've hooked up with you even if you had begged." He said looking at her disgusted, trying to save his ego.

"You're insane." Haley said with a sweet smile.

"Why don't you drop the act, princess. I know you've been fooling everyone with you ditzyness and pretending to be dumb. Since it's just the two of us and 2000 bucks left, how about you bring your A-game to the table? You can't flirt your way out of this one, honey."

Haley looked at Damien for the longest time as the rest of the room held their breaths.

"Fine." Haley said looking at Damien sternly.

Gone was the flirty, sweet face she had worn the whole night. She looked at Damien with a cold, hard, calculating stare which reminded Nathan of the way Haley's sister Quinn had looked at him the first time they'd met. The guys looked at Haley their mouths open in shock since they clearly had bought her act.

"Good." Damien said.

"I'm actually kinda relieved that I can drop the bimbo act." She said and pulled the front of her dress a bit higher so it would block the cleavage. The guys groaned in disappointment as Nathan glared at them.

"Great. Now, let's play some poker." Damien said.

"You're so going down." Nathan said and smiled at Haley reassuringly.

"I highly doubt it." Damien said and looked at Haley. "Playing against a girl? Hardly a challenge. I mean, how much can she know about poker?"

Haley's eyes narrowed in anger. She looked at him and then at her own cards thoughtfully. She then looked at the back of his cards, thinking through every move he had made. Few seconds later she smiled sweetly.

"Enough that I know you're gonna fold this hand."

"And why the hell would I do that considering we both have most of our chips on this hand?"

"Why? Not that I've given it _that_ much thought, but considering you didn't bet before the turn card which was a deuce, I'd say your other card is also a two. The flop was 3, 5 and 6 after which you only called so your other card is either 8 or 9. I know you didn't hit a pair or a straight yet because you would've bet more or gone all in considering the amount of chips you have already put on this hand. So, now you're hoping for a straight which you're not gonna get. And since I have a pair of aces here, really your only chance of beating me is getting another two at the river card thus making it a three-of-a-kind for you. And the changes for that are, I don't know, approximately 1 out of 22. That's 4,5 percent in case you don't have an I.Q of 130 like I do."

The whole table looked at her in shock as she stared at Damien without blinking. During her entire rant she had stared at him coldly with piercing eyes. She hadn't even looked at her right hand that was shuffling and playing with her chips in a professional manner.

Damien swallowed while looking at Haley's hand that was still shuffling and playing with the chips. He slowly looked at his cards again. A two and an 8.

"But like I said..." she said and grinned to herself when she noticed that she had the attention of the entire room.

She suddenly stopped shuffling the chips, making the entire room dead silent.

"...I haven't really given it that much thought."

The girls and the other players that had gathered around the table were looking at Haley with a mixture of shock and admire. It wasn't every day that someone not only beat Damien West in Texas Hold 'Em but also managed to shut him up.

"Where did you learn all of that?" one of the guys asked.

"I'm pretty good at math and my Uncle Vinnie taught me well." Haley said with a smirk.

"Who's Uncle Vinnie?" Nick asked.

"My uncle Vince."

"Vince who?- Wait, you don't mean Vince Van Patten, do you?" Andy asked his eyes wide.

"Yep, that's my uncle."

"Your uncle is Vince 'The-pro-poker-player-and-the-host-of-World-Poker-Tour' Van Patten? Jesus... You're in trouble, West." Charlie said with a wide smile.

"Of all the nieces of all the professional poker players in the world, you're playing against one." Tim said with a wide grin.

Damien looked down at his chips but it was not a pretty sight. Since he had just lost most of his chips, he only had enough for 2 or 3 hands. Sure, it was possible to come back from that but finding out who he was playing against had just totally ruined his confidence.

Since he wasn't willing to lose to a girl, he decided to take the only road left.

"Yeah, I'm getting tired and I have to meet my dad. You can have this one. Gotta go." He said, pushed his chips to the center and quickly left the room.

Someone might say that folding and giving up was losing, but at least this way Damien didn't actually lose and he could still try to convince himself that if he had finished the game, he would have won.

Fat chance, but denial is a beautiful state of mind.

"Did she just win?" Jessica asked from Nick.

"What the hell just happened?" Haley asked confused.

"You won!" Kim and the girls yelled.

"What?" she asked still not believing it.

"You just won 2000 dollars!"

"What? I did?" she asked. "I did!" she then yelled with a loud scream and started to jump up and down.

Nathan jumped to where she was and picked her up as the rest clapped their hands and girls cheered.

"Congrats, Haley." Nathan said and carefully set her down but kept his hands around her. "I'm so sorry for what happened before. I should've known you were just playing the game and realized how stupid I was being."

"I'm not mad, Nathan." Haley said sobering up from her win as everyone started their way back to the bar. "I know that you were just looking out for me." She said with a sad look.

Nathan smiled at her and looked at her intensively. _Maybe this was it_, they both thought. Maybe this was finally their moment. The moment they had both been waiting for. The moment where they could finally get over all the shit and waiting. The moment they both had been dying to continue since their almost-kiss in the camping area of some natural forest in Utah.

"But, Nathan..." Haley started with a serious, sad voice which got Nathan extremely worried. Nothing good could ever come from that tone.

Haley took a deep breath and blinked back the tears from her eyes. She wasn't sure which one would be more hurt by what she was about to say, him or her.

"Nathan, I asked you to trust me. _Repeatedly_. Just like I have trusted you every time you have asked me to. Unconditionally. But you didn't. And trust me now when I say it's breaking my heart to say this. But if there's no trust..." She said trailing of and took a step back from him with a pained expression.

"Haley-"

"I'm not mad." She whispered in a disappointed voice.

She took a few, slow steps back, waiting for Nathan to stop her and reassure her that tonight had been just an exception and that he did trust her and want her. That he had only acted like that because he wanted the best for her and cared for her. She needed him to stop her, talk to her and kiss her. Still looking at Nathan, she prayed silently for him to do or say something. Anything.

Nothing.

Shaking her head sadly, she turned around to face the others that had moved to the bar. She forced a fake smile while quickly wiping the few tears from the corner of her eyes.

"Rounds on me!" she yelled and everyone cheered, obviously not noticing her upset look.

She ordered a bottle of champagne for the group and a vodka shot for herself. With a quick movement she slammed the drink down her throat to calm herself down.

She set the shot glass back on the table and looked at her hand that was shaking madly while biting her lip so it would stop trembling.

Realizing that she was about to have a breakdown, she grabbed the first person she saw.

"Hey, Tim." She said grabbing him by the shoulder.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked when he saw her upset face.

"Yeah, perfect. The alcohol's starting to get to me so I'm gonna head back to my hotel. Tell Nathan to take his time with you guys tonight and that I'll see him tomorrow at the wedding. I have some shopping to do in the morning so I'm gonna get up early." She said and left before he had time to protest.

She could feel Nathan's eyes on her back as she practically ran from the room. Pushing people out of her way, she made it outside the casino. Taking the first cab she saw, and in the process cutting about 20 people on the line, she told the driver her address. As the car started towards its destination, she kept her eyes strictly on the front seat ahead of her, trying her best to keep herself calm.

Had she turned to watch the road behind them and the entrance of the casino, she'd seen Nathan running out of the casino, looking around desperately for her. With a defeated look, he walked back in when he couldn't find her.

Determined that she wouldn't break out crying in front of the car driver, Haley made it to her hotel. Sure, her lip was bleeding because of the constant biting to keep herself together but she was not planning on making a scene.

With shaky hands she opened her hotel room door, stepped in and slammed the door shut. Two seconds later she collapsed on the floor. Sobbing loudly she pulled her legs up, hugging them madly while swaying from side to side.

She wasn't crying because she was drunk or because she had fought with Nathan and he had practically called her a whore. She wasn't crying because she thought that Nathan didn't trust her or want her.

She was crying because she had just realized that she was in love with Nathan Scott. And based on the night they'd just had with the whole fighting, yelling and him not trusting her, Haley had a hard time imagining a future for them.

And that scared her more than camping and clowns combined.

* * *

So, there you go.. Any thoughts on the chappie? Next chapter will be the last before the epilogue so we're nearing the end. :) In the meantime, review:)

-Fes-


	15. Day 10

Hey everyone, thanks for all the awesome reviews. Here's chapter 15, the last chapter before the Epilogue. This is gonna be a long one so take a good seat, bring some snacks and enjoy. :) And don't forget to let me know what you think of it.

* * *

Quote of the day: The Entourage

Ari Gold: Listen, Lloyd, I want you to put all my files, folders, binders, _everything_ into a box! If you find a used condom, an executioner's mask, and a fucking spike paddle, don't think, just pack that bitch! Chop suey!

* * *

**Chapter 15. Day 10.**

Day 10. Las Vegas.

_Dear diary, it's day 10. _

_The final day. _

_The last day of this goddamm road trip. I don't know about Nathan but I'm more than happy to go home so I can finally have some fucking peace of mind. _

_I hate this trip, I hate the damn car, I hate this town, I hate Nathan, I hate myself and no offence, but I hate you. See, right now I am very tempted to burn your pages so I can pretend this trip never existed. _

_Now worries though! See, there's no point in burning you because my lost sanity and the future mental institution bills will be reminder enough of the 10 days on the road that drove me over the edge._

_I'm sure you're confused by my sudden mood change especially since my last entry ended with: "Nathan's become one of my best friends and I trust him with my life. I really can't imagine how I've ever lived without him. Who knew?" _

_God, could I have been any more naive! Seriously! Hi, I'm Haley James. Age: 12. I love rainbows and kittens and puppies and the color pink and everything that's nice, soft and warm. Argh!!_

_Everything changed last night when we had a poker night with Nathan's friends. So, I flirted and giggled a bit to gain advantage in the game, but it totally freaked Nathan. He was almost beating up this Damien guy who was particularly annoying and flirting. _

_Anywho, I told Nathan repeatedly to trust me and leave me alone but no, he had to be stubborn and push it and try to get me to quit the game so I wouldn't lose my money. (So, he didn't know that my uncle was a professional poker player and that he taught me the game when I was like 6 years old)._

_Nathan just didn't trust me. He let his goddamm ego control him and I can't deal with that anymore. Not after everything I went through with Chris._

_Oh, and he almost called me a whore._

_Yeah, what a fun night. But even all that didn't cause my break down (yep, I'm talking about the "collapse and cry until your eyes hurt" –breakdown)._

_Nope, the breakdown was caused by a realization that I love him. No, not the sort of love that you have for your best friend or a brother or a mother. I fucking love him. And everything that happened last night just proved that yet again I've fallen for the wrong guy._

_So, last night after leaving the poker game (and winning it, by the way), I broke down once I got in my hotel room. I made it to the bedroom, tried to sleep but couldn't._

_He came back about 4.35 am so drunk that it took him 4 and half minutes to try to get the front door open. He stayed outside my bedroom door for 28 seconds but then muttered something to himself and walked away. He collapsed on the couch around 4.41 am and started the snoring about minute and a half later._

_I finally fell asleep sometime after 5 and woke up 8:30 am. Why? Because I wanted to get away before Nathan woke up. I left him a note saying I wouldn't meet him till the wedding because I had some shopping to do... Truth is that today I've spent 4 hours in a Barnes & Noble reading books._

_Since I was dumb enough not to grab my dress, make up, purse, shoes, et cetera with me in the morning, I had to come back to the hotel. Thankfully he wasn't here. He'd already taken his things to the car since we only had a reservation for one day because we were supposed to drive to LA today._

_So, I quickly changed into my strapless, black dress and heels and did my hair and make-up. I took my stuff to the car and since I still had time left and the maids weren't trying to kick me out yet, I decided to give you an update so I don't have to go to the wedding too early._

_I'm not ready to face him yet. I'm actually scared out of my mind to see Nathan. Well, maybe not scared but totally uncomfortable and frustrated. Which, ironically, shouldn't be a big deal considering that "frustrating and uncomfortable" has been the theme for us for the past two days. _

_But it's just so different now. _

_He's gonna know the minute he sees me. He has always been able to read me like a book so why should this be any different. He's gonna know. He's gonna know that I love him._

_Love sucks._

Haley closed the book and put it away. She looked at herself in the mirror. Black, strapless dress. Black shoes. Simple hairdo. Smoky makeup. She smoothed her dress and added lip gloss before grabbing her purse and heading out.

---------------

"Bride or groom?"

Haley looked at the young kid who was standing by the entrance of the church looking at her expectantly.

"Uh, bride, I guess. Where ever there's room is fine." Haley said and accepted the hand the young boy offered.

They started to walk slowly towards the front of the church.

"Thank you." Haley said as they finally reached the bench. She was about to sit down when she realized who was already sitting there.

"Haley! Hi!" Nathan said.

Haley swallowed hard when she took in how good he looked wearing the dark suit jacket and the light blue dress shirt with the few top buttons undone.

"Uh, hi." She said uncomfortably and looked around trying to see if she could see anyone she knew.

"So, where've you been? What happened last night?"

"Uh..." Haley started and swallowed, while thinking of what to say. "You know, I was pretty drunk last night so I wanted to get back to the room before I started to feel sick. I thought I told this to Tim last night." She said quickly. Too quickly to be telling the truth, Nathan noticed.

"Yeah, he did." Nathan said slowly. "So, where have you been today? You must've left really early."

"Yeah, needed to get some last minute shopping done." Haley said.

"Ok..." Nathan said and stared at Haley, who was still standing by the bench. "You gonna sit down?"

"Uh..." she said, still looking around frantically to find an excuse to leave. But, of course she couldn't see anything. Since she was in a church, she had only possibility left. To pray.

_God... I know this is your house and all, so you must listen. I've never asked for anything except for a bike when I was 10, that green dress for my 12th birthday, a car for Sweet Sixteen, a laptop for graduation, and 200 bucks every Christmas. Oh, and my own room ever since I could talk. And there's always the- Uh, never mind. The point is that I will never ever ask for anything (except for a rich husband, healthy kid and a beautiful house) if you fulfill this wish. _

_Please, please, please, let someone kill me or the ground to open up and swallow me so I don't have to talk to Nathan. An earth quake or a hostage situation will also do! I'd be okay with amnesia too! For Nathan or me, doesn't matter. You pick! Goddam- uh, I mean, darn it! I just can't talk to him. Not now. Please, please, please, please, please, plea-_

"Haley, gotta sec?" Haley turned to look at Jamie, one of the bridesmaids who had practically run from the back room.

"Yes!" she yelled a bit too loudly. "I mean, yes. Is everything ok?" she asked.

"Uh, you be the judge. Solaris needs you." She said.

"Ok, let's go." Haley said and turned to look at Nathan. "Gotta go. See you later." Haley said happily and left. She looked at the ceiling with a grateful smile. _Thanks!_

She knew she was being immature by ignoring and avoiding Nathan but she didn't want to talk to him until she knew what she was going to say. And since she had no idea whatsoever, she followed Jamie happily until they made it to the back room.

She froze on her spot once she saw Solaris.

"Is she crazy?"

"We honestly don't know. She's been like that for the past 2 hours." Jamie whispered. "We have tried to talk to her, reassure her, reason her, comfort her and argue her. But nothing works. She's even said the C-word."

"Cancer?" Haley asked horrified.

"Can_cel_." Jamie said. "She's talking about canceling the wedding. You're the last person who hasn't talked to her yet."

"What the hell can I do?"

"Just try. I'll wait in the other room with the rest of the bridesmaids. And didn't you say you work better under stress? Well, the wedding's supposed to start in 10 minutes." Jamie said and left the room.

Haley sighed and turned to look at Solaris. She was standing there wearing her wedding dress, with the perfect hairdo, makeup, everything done. The weird thing was what she was doing.

Ironing.

She was ironing everything she could find. Haley could see at least 4 pairs of jeans, 6 shirts and a jacket. The clothes were completely straight, which meant that she'd been doing that for quite a while. When she was about to rip the curtains so she could iron them, Haley decided it was time to interrupt her.

"Uh, whatcha doing?" Haley asked carefully and took a few steps closer to her.

"Nada." Solaris said.

"Uh, you do know that you're wedding is starting in like 10 minutes."

"Oh, I'm not getting married." She said like it was no big deal.

"What?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"I'm just not ready." She muttered as she furiously kept ironing the clothes.

"What makes you say so?" Haley asked and looked at her carefully, making sure she didn't try to hit her with the heavy iron.

"I'm just too young. It's not my time yet." She mumbled.

"Solaris, I've never seen someone so much in love as you and Tony are. Love isn't about age."

"Whatever, I'm not doing it." She said a bit upset.

"What's really bothering you?" Haley asked and carefully took the iron from her hands.

"Give it back." Solaris said with a shaky voice.

"Not until you tell me why you're acting like this."

"Give. It. Back."

"Not until you-"

"GIVE IT BACK!"

"NO!"

"GIVE IT BA-"

Solaris got cut by a small slap from Haley. She held her cheek in shock and looked at Haley while taking in a sharp breath.

"How dare-"

"Solaris." Haley said in a quiet voice, cutting off Solaris before she made a scene. Haley looked at her with a caring, worried look which surprisingly calmed her down. Solaris sighed deeply.

"Thank you." Solaris said.

"What's wrong?" Haley asked concerned.

"I just can't do this!" she cried out. "I'm too young! I'm not even in college! How the hell do I know what love is?!" she yelled and then calmed down. "Two hours ago I realized that I've never done my own laundry. Ever. I don't know how to iron. I don't know how to cook, or do laundry or mow the yard. I barely even know how to use a frigging microwave!"

"So? That has nothing to do with love."

"But how can I get married if I know nothing about real life? It's like I've lived in this bubble my entire life and now it's broken and I'm supposed to know what to do! I can't! I just can't!" she said swallowing back the tears.

When Haley noticed that Solaris was dangerously close to ruining her makeup, she took a hold of her shoulders.

"Listen to me, Solaris." Haley said in a stern voice while looking at her in the eyes. "Love is not easy. Relationships take time, effort and work. You will have your ups and downs, no doubt about that. But the panic attack you're having now is totally normal. My sister threw up twice before her wedding and my cousin actually tried to run away through a window but we caught her. They're both happily married with kids now. Every bride has their fears and doubts and the actual wedding day just makes it all seem so much bigger."

"But what if he's not the one for me?"

"Do you really think that?" Haley asked.

"No..." she said.

"Well there you go then. I wish you could see what you and Tony look like together. Whenever you even look at him or he looks at you, it gives hope for the rest of us. You two are so in love that it makes the rest of us want to gag and say 'aww' at the same time." Haley said and gave herself a mental pat on the back when Solaris smiled.

"Don't you get it, Solaris? You have found _him_. That person who can make you feel giddy, nervous, happy and obsessed all at the same time! Someone you wanna spend every single minute of your day and when you're not with him, you can't stop thinking about him. Someone who's not only smart and funny but totally hot and sexy." Solaris looked at Haley sharply both surprised and confused at the 'hot and sexy' –comment.

"You've found that someone you love more than you can explain and it makes you all confused and scared and vulnerable and afraid..." Haley said not looking at Solaris anymore but over her shoulder into the distance. Her voice was no longer stern or demanding, it was quiet and intense.

Solaris smiled happily when she realized that Haley was no longer talking to her.

"You're in love with Nathan, aren't you?" Solaris said with a smile.

"More than I ever thought I could be and it scares me so much." Haley said in a panicked voice.

Solaris smiled as she realized that their roles were reversed now, Solaris being the calm one and Haley panicking.

"Don't worry, he loves you too." Solaris said. "I've seen the way he looks at you. Like you're the only person in the room that matters."

"I just don't know what to do. Is there an easy way to tell someone you love them, without feeling vulnerable or afraid of rejection?" Haley asked.

"No, that's the whole point of opening up and letting someone see the real you. You have to take changes." Solaris said looking at herself in the mirror and smoothing the dress material. "Tell Nathan how you feel. Trust me, he feels the same. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a wedding to attend to so I can finally marry the man of my dreams."

"Yeah, of course. Lemme get everyone here." Haley said and went to get the bridesmaids back.

After quickly explaining to everyone that Solaris was alright and more than ready to get married, Haley walked back to where the guests were sitting. She sat down happily next to Nathan.

"Everything ok?" Nathan asked.

"Perfect." Haley said with a wide smile. "Nathan, I-" Haley got cut off when the traditional wedding song started play.

"What?" Nathan asked curious.

"We'll talk later." She said and turned around to look the bridesmaids walking down the aisle.

------------------

"Here's Mr. and Mrs. Bale!"

Haley and Nathan clapped with the rest of the 300-guest-audience when the beautiful couple started to dance their wedding song. After the beautiful ceremony in the church, they were now back in the Palms hotel where the reception was being held.

Nathan and Haley shared a table with some of the couple's friends and were looking at the excited couple dancing in the middle of the ball room.

"She's so beautiful." Tanya, one of Solaris's friends who was sitting next to Haley whispered to her.

"I know, the hairdo is gorgeous." Haley told her.

"And look at the shoes! _Bellissimo_!" Jackie, another girl with a deep Italian accent said.

"And did you see the bouquet?" Linzie, another girl asked.

"Oh, it was so pretty!"

"It looked gorgeous with the veil."

"And it matched perfectly with the bridesmaids shoes."

"I know, I noticed that too!"

"And see, the centerpieces totally match with the maid of honor's purse."

The few guys around the table looked at each other with confused, clueless looks. Apparently they hadn't even noticed that there was a bouquet.

"Great food." Nathan said trying to think of something.

"Oh, totally!" the guys said and made agreeing sounds and nods as the girls rolled their eyes.

"And, uh, nice carpet." One of the guys, Eric said.

"So, you two are from North Carolina?" Linzie asked from Nathan and Haley.

"Yeah, but we're moving to LA for college." Haley said.

"And you're actually driving instead of flying?"

"Yep, it's been 10 days since we left NC." Nathan said.

"Wow, that's a lot of driving."

"Yep." Nathan and Haley said looking at each other with smiles.

"Are you too a couple?" Tanya asked with a grin.

"Uh... No, we're just..."

"...friends." Haley finished.

Both Nathan and Haley looked at each other and then quickly somewhere else with matching uncomfortable blushes. The group looked at them with grins knowing that there was more than that.

"Oh, really?" Tanya asked obviously not being able to read between the lines. "So, would you care to dance?" she asked from Nathan.

Nathan looked at her startled and then at Haley who had a tight, forced smile on her face.

"If that's ok with you, darling?" Tanya asked looking at Haley.

Haley looked at her in annoyance wanting nothing more than to bitch slap her for calling her 'darling' and trying to steal her man.

"Or course it's ok." Haley finally said with the tight smile.

"Great! Come on, Nathan." Tanya said not bothering to ask Nathan whether he wanted to dance or not.

"Uh, I don't-"

"Come on. One dance."

"Uh, ok I guess." He said and turned to look at Haley. "I'll be right back." He said before being dragged away by Tanya.

Haley took a deep breath as she watched Tanya wrap her hands eagerly around Nathan's neck. Not being able to take her eyes off of the dancing couple, Haley watched their every move with an unreadable expression that was a mixture of anger, jealousy and nausea.

Haley knew that she was just torturing herself but she just couldn't _not_ look. It was like seeing a traffic accident. It was something horrible that made you sick and sad but you just had to look.

The entire time Haley tapped the table with her fingers while looking more and more pissed off. She watched them dance, talk, smile and laugh. She reached her breaking point when the song ended and she saw Tanya lean closer to Nathan and whisper something on his ear and give him a lingering kiss on the cheek.

Haley stood up abruptly from the table.

"I need to go to the bathroom..." She announced while grabbing her purse and running away. "...to throw up."

Nathan watched in confusion as Haley hurried away.

"Wait, where did she go?" he asked when he came back to the table.

The guys sighed while looking at him sympathetically as the girls rolled their eyes. He was so clueless it made them all want to both cry and yell at the same time.

"To the bathroom." One of the guys finally said when Nathan still looked at them.

Jackie, the Italian girl, glared at Nathan while lightning her cigarette.

"_Idiota_."

--------------

Haley leaned on the counter of the bathroom while looking at herself in the mirror. She wanted to bitch slap herself for once again being in the same situation. The situation where she was forced to watch in jealousy as Nathan flirted with some random skank.

She looked at the mirror with a sad expression when she realized that this was the way it was always going to be. She took a deep breath and told herself over and over again to suck it up and move on.

When she was confident she could act normal around Nathan without wanting to scratch every flirting woman to death, she stepped outside the bathroom. The first thing she saw was Nathan surrounded by four women. Four models, to be exact.

"This just keeps getting better and better." She mumbled and headed towards the bar when she realized she couldn't handle it.

"Yeah, can I get a glass of champagne?" she asked from the bartender behind the counter.

The handsome, cute bartender looked at her with a smirk.

"You old enough?"

Haley's eyes narrowed in anger. She grabbed him by his tie and pulled him so he was about an inch from her face.

"I'm having a shitty day and a much shittier week and I'm approximately two seconds away from a complete breakdown. So, either you give me that glass of champagne or I will shove the entire bottle where the sun don't shine." She hissed.

The bartender looked at her for about half a second before giving her a forced, nervous smile.

"Coming right up, ma'am."

The bartender let out a sigh of relief when she let go of his tie.

"I'm sorry about that. I'm usually a nice person." Haley said politely when he gave her the glass with a shaky hand.

"That's alright, ma'am." He said and watched Haley drink the whole glass empty.

"Keep it coming." She said waving the empty glass towards him. She smiled at him when he immediately poured her glass full.

Haley looked over her shoulder and took in a shaky breath when she noticed Nathan clearly enjoying the attention of the models. She turned around to face the bar again when she felt tears stinging her eyes.

The bartender looked at her worried. Even though he was young and had been bartending for only a year, he could tell when someone was upset and in need of a shoulder.

"Is he the reason you're upset?" the bartender asked nodding his head towards Nathan.

"It's that obvious, huh." She said quietly while looking at the champagne glass she was twirling between her fingers.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked as he motioned for Haley to sit on one of the bar stools.

"Sure."

-----------------

"... so then she got really mad. She started to hit me and yell at me when I was just trying to find a hospital." Nathan told the models that were sitting around him, listening to him tell them stories about Haley and the road trip.

"Hey, don't laugh." Nathan said when they all burst out laughing. "She can hit hard! Her brothers taught her and trust me when I say they're all insane."

"But you almost killed her." One of the models, Clara, tried to justify.

"Yeah, you deserved a beating. If my boyfriend had fallen asleep on the wheel, I would've made sure that _I_ wasn't the one in need of a hospital." Christina said.

"Yeah, I once kicked my boyfriend in the leg because he didn't buy me the right ice cream." Susie said while the girls made approving sounds.

"You got off easy." Clara said to Nathan.

"She was so pissed." Nathan said and started to smile. "She gets these little wrinkles around her lips whenever she's mad. It's so cute. Sometimes I actually try to pick a fight just so I can see them." Nathan said and all the girls aww-ed.

Normally he wasn't nearly as open as now but talking about his favorite subject to a bunch of taken girls who wanted to hear every single detail about their road trip adventures, was surprisingly easy.

"What else? Tell us more." Christina said and all the girls nodded.

"Well, there was this time in Iowa when I met her brothers. Remember how I told you how smart Haley is and how she was the valedictorian and all? Well, I thought her brothers were also the kind of 'smart, nerdy' -type. Not that I think Haley's a nerd or anything, I just imagined that her brothers were. So, imagine my surprise when I meet these two, huge, identical twin brothers that looked like they could kick my ass if they wanted. And believe me, they wanted to." He said and smiled as the girls laughed again.

"So, they held this party..."

-------------

"...so, Nathan actually beat up your ex?"

"Yeah, he was so sweet." Haley said with a smile.

She was still sitting by the bar, talking to Jim, the bartender.

"It seems that he cares a lot about you and you obviously care about him." Jim said.

"Yep."

"So, how come you're not together?"

Haley was about to answer when she could hear the group of models laughing out loud to something Nathan had just said. She sighed as she looked at Nathan smile at the girls while they were laughing. She had no idea that all the girls were taken and that they were actually talking about her there. She just thought that once again Nathan had found some potential girls to hook up with.

"That's why." Haley said turning to look at Jim again. She finished her glass and waved it in front of him.

"Are you sure you want more? You do know that alcohol doesn't solve anything? Didn't you learn that after the whole thing with your cheating ex?"

"Yeah, I know. And this time I'm not trying to forget about anything or numb the pain. I'm just trying to get through the day." Haley said. "Come on, I ate like the entire cake and those little cookies, so my stomach is full. Trust me, I now know when to stop. Besides, it isn't every day when Haley James gets to drink champagne."

Jim looked at Haley sympathetically and filled her glass.

"So, what did you mean when said they were the reason you and Nathan aren't together?" Jim asked looking at the girls around Nathan.

"Nathan's a flirt. He loves girls and flirting and he had a pretty bad reputation back in high school because he hooked up with like the entire sophomore and junior glass. So far his type has been someone with big boobs, blonde hair and not that much between the ears. Nathan's a player. And I'm not." She said.

"But didn't you say that he's so different from what you thought he was? That you really have gotten to know him during the past 10 days?"

"Yep, he's an awesome friend. But sadly, that's all that we'll ever be." She said while sipping the champagne.

"I'm sorry you feel that way but I still think you should tell him how you feel. I think he feels the same way." Jim said.

"Trust me, you're not the only one who's said that. But enough about him and pathetic love life. Change of topic! Tell me something funny."

--------------

"Congrats, man!"

"Thanks. How's the party?" Tony asked.

"Awesome. So, how do you feel now?" Nathan asked.

The girls he had talked with had excused themselves to the bathroom. Nathan had tried to look around for Haley with no luck because there was a group of people by the bar, blocking the view. So, when he had spotted Tony by himself, he had went to talk to him.

"Awesome. Perfect. It's... I can't even describe it. You'll know when you get married." Tony said with a smile.

"I don't know, man. I'm not sure I'm the marrying type."

"What? Not even with Haley? You two are 'totally adorable' as Solaris says." Tony said with the air quotes.

"Oh, we're not a couple." Nathan said.

"Really? Well, you look and act like one."

"She thinks of me only as a friend. Besides, she's way too good for me." Nathan mumbled.

"I gotta say I disagree but whatever..." Tony said.

"Ok, lemme ask you a question. You're like what? 21? 22? And you just got married. Dude, no offence or anything but isn't that kinda young?" Nathan asked as politely as possible.

Tony smiled at the question that he had heard so many times since he and Solaris had announced their engagement.

"We know we're young. But it doesn't change the fact she's the one for me and that we would eventually get married anyways. She's the nicest, funniest, prettiest woman I've ever met and I know that no one can never even compare to her." Tony explained while looking at his smiling wife who was talking with her family across the room.

"I always thought I'd stay single and enjoy every single minute of my NBA life and admittedly, I had my 'manwhoring days', as she likes to call my rookie years in NBA. But all those random times with random people never meant as much as a single second with her means. You know what I mean?"

"Uh huh." Nathan mumbled while looking into the distance with a glazed look, obviously thinking about Haley.

"I mean, can you imagine your soul mate?" Tony continued. "Someone who's your best friend. Someone you know better than yourself. Someone who no matter what, always has your back and you have hers. Someone who in your eyes looks like a goddess even with a pair of sweats on and no make up and dirty hair. Someone you'd beat up a guy for. Someone you'd die for."

Nathan, who still had that glazed look, wasn't listening to Tony anymore. Sure, he had heard what he had said but it wasn't the wise words of his hero that had left him speechless. It was the realization that had hit him through those words. He swallowed hard as he realized something he should've known for a very long time.

_Nathan Scott was in love_.

"I gotta go." Nathan mumbled leaving Tony by himself.

Solaris, who noticed Tony finally alone, excused her parents and hurried to where he was.

"Hey, hubby." She said wrapping her arms around him and kissing him.

"Hi, babe. Having fun?" he said kissing her back.

"Of course. What was that about?" Solaris said and pointed at Nathan who was looking around for something frantically.

"The boy just realized he's in love with Haley."

"About damn time." Solaris said.

With their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders, they watched Nathan looking for Haley. The group of people that had blocked Nathan's view to the bar, got their drinks and left, making Haley's back visible.

Nathan stopped in his tracks as he saw her talking, laughing and giggling with the bartender who was taking a break on the other side of the counter, sitting next to her on one of the bar stools.

Even from across the room, Tony and Solaris could see the vein by the side of Nathan's head ticking and the jealous look on his face.

Solaris and Tony looked at Haley and Jim who were talking about something as Nathan stared at them. In horror, Solaris saw the bartender whisper something to Haley while putting his hand on her thigh. Then Haley smiled at him excited and started to undo his tie slowly.

Solaris looked at Tony quickly and they both gulped. They then turned to look at where Nathan had been. But he wasn't there anymore. He was walking towards Haley, and he did not look happy.

"Oh boy."

--------------

"... so, then my little sister decided to tell my mom about the brownies." Jim said.

"Oh, snap!"

"And even though I was almost 18, she grounded me for 4 months. I missed my senior Prom."

"That's hilarious." Haley said laughing.

"No, it was not. My date still hasn't forgiven me."

"You're lucky you didn't get arrested or anything." Haley said.

"Yeah, I guess that's true..." he said and then turned to look at her with an excited grin. "Hey, wanna know a secret?"

"Of course." Haley said excited.

Jim looked around to make sure no one he knew was close. He then inched closer to Haley, taking support from her leg so he wouldn't fall down from the bar stool.

"I have a thing for Molly." He whispered.

Haley looked at him with her mouth open in excitement.

"The bridesmaid? Really? Oh, my god! That's so awesome! You have to tell her."

"Really? You think so? I don't think I should. At least not tonight."

"Why?"

"You kidding? I look ridiculous with this stupid uniform. I want it to be perfect." He said and looked down at his straight, black pants and the white shirt with the black tie.

"It's not about the clothes but I see what you mean. Ok, let's just take the tie off and pull the shirt from the pants and open a few of the top buttons." Haley said arranging the shirt so it looked more loose. "And _voilà_! All better." She said while smoothing the shirt material when Jim suddenly fell on the floor. But not by accident.

Haley turned to look at the furious Nathan who had just pushed Jim roughly on the floor.

"Oh, my god! Nathan! What the hell!" Haley asked confused and looked at him like he was crazy.

"Me? Me?! What the hell are _you_ doing?" he asked.

"I take it this is Nathan." Jim said as he stood up from the ground.

"How about you don't talk!" Nathan said taking an angry step towards him but Haley got in between them.

"Dude, I know what you're thinking." Jim said realizing what it must have looked like to him. "But you couldn't be more wrong."

"Wrong? How about I show you something right?! Like my right fist! On your _face_!"

"Nathan! Enough!" Haley hissed while looking at him angrily.

She looked around and saw that a bunch of people were already staring at them curiously. Her eyes met with Solaris's across the room who was looking at them worried. Haley suddenly realized how selfish they were being by causing a scene in someone's wedding.

Still keeping Nathan and Jim away from each other, she turned to look at Jim.

"Go talk to her. And don't worry, you look great." She said which infuriated Nathan even more.

Jim nodded his head and left. Haley turned to look at Nathan.

"And we need to talk." She said through gritted teeth and took a tight grip from his arm.

"It's ok. Everything's fine. Go back to your dancing and drinking." Haley said with a forced smile to the people around them who were looking at them.

Haley dragged the furious Nathan to a small balcony that was by the corner of the ball room. Pushing Nathan in there, she turned back to close the door so their discussion wouldn't be heard. She had a feeling it wasn't going to be a pretty one.

"What the fuck, Nathan!" she yelled.

"No! It's 'what the fuck, Haley'!" he yelled back.

"I don't know what your problem is, but you need to get over it. This is a wedding!" she yelled.

"Oh, so you're saying that your behavior has been very wedding-like today?" he asked sarcastically.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what it sounds like! There you were! Giggling, laughing, flirting and goddamm undressing the guy. Is that how I should be acting?"

"Like you weren't! Because you definitely took care of the flirting, giggling and laughing part with those four models who couldn't keep their hands off of you. Tell me, did you do the undressing part with the blonde or the brunette?" she asked sarcastically.

"I don't know what you thought you saw, but I wasn't flirting with any of them. We were just talking. About you, actually. For god's sakes, they were all taken."

"About me? I'm sure they were entertained when you told them all about how stupid and a complete loser I am. I mean, not only am I poor and annoying, I'm also an idiot! _'She didn't even realize that her boyfriend was cheating on her!'_'" Haley said imitating Nathan's voice.

"You're not-"

"And what comes to them being taken? Why let something as insignificant as that stop you?" she said the words rolling off her tongue. "I mean, you've certainly showed me that looks is the only thing that matters to you or need I remind you of that Jess in Iowa you hooked up with and she was clearly the sluttiest in the room!"

"How many times do I have to say that nothing happened!"

"Oh, forgive me for thinking that a lap dance isn't 'nothing'. Come on, Nathan. I saw you!" Haley said.

"Oh, my god! The lap dance was like two seconds before I pushed her away. I never hooked up with her!"

"Well, that's a first. You must've been _really_ wasted." She said. "And for your information: Jim, the bartender who you almost beat up, has a crush on one of the bridesmaids and I was helping him so he would look more loose and less work. Hence the 'undressing' that you obviously saw." Haley said sarcastically with the air quotes.

"And I bet you were enjoying every single second of it!" he yelled.

Her face suddenly fell and she took a deep breath to calm down. She quickly covered from it and cleared her throat.

"Why? Because I'm a _whore_? Come on, you can say it! Say it!" she yelled with a shaky voice.

This time her voice was more sad and upset than angry. Her lower lip was trembling and she had a hard time keeping the lump in her throat down. All the confusion, the pain and the jealousy was finally taking its toll on her.

"Haley-" Nathan started with a pained look as he saw how upset she was getting.

"Say it!! You've practically already said it!" she yelled while wiping a few angry tears away. "Nathan, I can't do this anymore! I can't be around you, not like this!"

"No, Haley-" he started with a panicked voice, scared that he had gone too far.

Haley cut him off with an upset, shaky voice.

"What the hell is going on, Nathan? Not only are you possessive, but you also have a hero complex. You need to save me which I understand after everything you witnessed after the whole Chris Keller thing. But you confuse the shit out of me! One minute you're all sweet and jealous if I as much as look at some other guy and the next minute you're flirting with the first dumb, blonde who couldn't be more different from me. For god's sakes Nathan, you _kissed_ me! And then you acted like nothing had happened! And then you called me a whore! I don't know what you want from me and I really can't do this anymore." She said with tears in her eyes.

Nathan looked at her with a frustrated look while running his hand through his hair. He sighed deeply and looked at her sincerely.

"Haley, listen to me. You couldn't be more wrong. Yeah, I might have a hero complex but only when it comes to you. And yeah, I wanted to kiss you that night in the camping are and I did. I don't regret it and the reason I acted afterwards like nothing had happened was because you were uncomfortable and _obviously_ the one who was regreting it. And what comes to the whole poker night? Baby, I couldn't be more sorry than I am and trust me, I really wish I could take it back. I never meant what I said and I never wanted to hurt you and I'm so sorry that I did."

"I know." She said knowing that Nathan had only said it because he had been jealous and frustrated.

"Good." He said.

"I still don't know what you want from me. One minute we're flirting and almost making out and the next we're barely talking and you're after some model." Haley said sadly.

"I used to be that guy but I've changed. I really have and it's all thanks to you because you made me this guy, Haley. I don't want to have pointless one-night-stands with some random girls I barely know. I wanna have a real relationship and spend my time with someone I really care about, someone that matters, someone I love..." he paused to look at her and took in a shaky breath. "Haley, I want you."

"Nathan..." she mumbled not knowing what to say, never been able to expect those words from him. "I..." she started.

"You sound surprised." Nathan said suddenly feeling very revealed that he had told her how he felt. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he was free.

"Yeah, I don't know why." She said with a small smile and shook her head smiling. "This whole time every single person we've met has thought that either we are a couple or that we should be." Haley said.

"They were right."

"Nathan, I'm not stupid, I always knew that there was something more than friendship here but I just thought that it's just the way you are with everyone." Haley said.

"Are you kidding me? Haley, I've never been more open, relaxed and comfortable with any other girl before. You're smart, beautiful, funny and so frigging hot that when I'm bored, I can just think of you in that red bikini and I suddenly get _very_ excited." He said with a wink.

Haley groaned and hid her face in her hands. Nathan took a hold of her hands so he could see her.

"I love hanging out with you even if we aren't doing anything special. And when I'm not with you, I can't stop thinking about you. I love you." He said and paused for a second. "I'm _in_ love with you."

Haley looked at him with teary eyes, an unreadable expression on her face. Nathan wasn't sure whether she felt the same or she was just touched by his words.

"Nathan, I'm so sorry..." she started and took her hands away from Nathan's.

_Oh crap_, Nathan thought sadly.

"...but you were wrong about one thing. I never regreted the kiss. And I'm in love with you too." Haley whispered with a smile before wrapping her hands tightly around his neck and closing the gap between their lips.

As soon as their lips met, they could both feel the sparks between them. They had been waiting for that moment pretty much since they had left Tree Hill.

The kiss started out as slow and deep as if their lips were only getting used to the touches. Soon when both started to crave for more, it changed into a faster, more passionate one with a lot more tongue. It was like the past 10 days had been the longest foreplay in the history of mankind and they were both more than eager to get to the next step.

Neither kept track of time, instead enjoyed the sweet kiss that both had been waiting for way too long. Pushing Haley lightly against the balcony door, Nathan's lips traveled down until they reached the side of her neck. Nathan swallowed deeply, feeling his pants tighten, when he heard her deep moan and felt her soft hands going through his hair.

Holding her tightly by her waist, his hands started to make their way higher. Massaging her stomach through the dress, his hands slowly traveled even higher. Just when he was about to cup her breast, they were interrupted by a banging sound.

They both flinched startled and turned to look at the balcony door that just happened to be made of glass, making it see-through. With embarrassed looks, Nathan and Haley looked at Solaris and Tony who were waving at them with matching grins.

Nathan opened the balcony door while quickly buttoning up a few buttons that Haley had managed to undo while she smoothed her dress material and fixed her hair.

"Hey, there." Solaris said with a bright, knowing smile when they opened the door.

"Hey." Haley said blushing. "Look, I'm so sorry if he made a scene or anything."

"Don't worry about it, just thought I'd let you know that I'm about to throw the bouquet." Solaris said.

"Oh, and that the balcony door is not sound proof." Tony added with a grin.

"Did everyone hear us?" Nathan asked laughing.

"Did everyone _see_ us?" Haley asked embarrassed.

"Nah." Tony said. "Just us."

"And the bridesmaids." Solaris added.

"And my best man."

"And two waitresses."

"The band and the groomsmen."

"My uncle."

"Her cousin."

"The-"

"Okay, so we're not stealth. Got it." Nathan said throwing his other hand over the embarrassed Haley.

"I'm so sorry. I really hope we didn't make a scene." Haley said apologetically.

"You two have nothing to be sorry about. You've already saved the wedding twice." She said looking at Haley. "Besides, it's always nice to see two people who are perfect for each other to finally find themselves."

"Thanks." Haley said with a small smile while leaning into Nathan, enjoying being close to him.

"So, shall we?" Solaris said holding the door open for them.

"Sure." Haley said following Solaris back inside the ball room.

People that had been sitting closest to the balcony, started to clap their hands and whistle at Nathan and Haley.

"You two put quite a show for us." Alexis, the maid of honor, said with a grin.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Haley said while following Solaris and the girls to the center of the dance floor where the unmarried women were starting to gather.

Nathan made his way to their table to take a seat.

"Hey man, what's up?" Eric asked as Nathan sat down with the rest of the guys.

"Great." He said grinning.

"Little birds told us you put quite a show out there." Eric said.

"Well, Haley and I made up... and then made out." He added with a grin.

"Finally! You two were like the most obvious couple and I really can't believe you've went through 10 days without hooking up." Eric said.

"Yeah, well it's all worth it now." He said and saw Jim make his way towards them.

"Hey man, sorry about the before..." Nathan said apologetically.

"No worries, man. She explained it all to you, right?"

"Yeah, she told me how you're into Molly." Nathan said with a grin as Eric whistled.

"Yeah, well apparently Molly heard you guys too." Jim said.

"Really? Sorry, man."

"No, don't be! Because she came up to me and told me she felt the same." He said with a grin. "We're kinda together now."

"Nice going, man." Eric said bumping fists with him.

"Great night, huh." Nathan said and they all made agreeing sounds.

They turned to look at the dance floor when they heard the DJ announce that the bouquet would be thrown soon.

They watched all the girls gather in the middle of the dance floor, trying to get the best possible place to catch the gorgeous white-rose bouquet that Solaris had spent months designing. Haley, who was standing close to the bridesmaids on the left side of the group, was chatting and laughing loudly with them.

"This is like the lamest wedding tradition." Eric said bored.

"Oh, I know. I've bartended like 20 weddings and this is always the busiest time because all the guys need alcohol to entertain themselves." Jim said sitting low on the chair, hands crossed over his chest.

"Yeah, and not to even mention that whoever gets the bouquet, is supposedly the first to get married. Dude, I love Haley but it's not like I'm thinking of marrying her yet." Nathan said.

"What's with all the whining?" Tony said appearing with a few guys and sitting down around the table.

"We're just bashing the whole tradition of throwing some stupid flower arrangement." Eric said.

"You wanna know how to make it interesting?" Tony asked with a grin. "5 bucks on Solaris's maid-of-honor, Alexis." He said slamming a 5-dollar-bill on the table.

The rest of the guys looked at each other with raised eyebrows before quickly digging their pockets.

"Five bucks on Haley." Nathan said throwing his share in the table.

"Molly does gymnastics. We're so winning this." Jim said as the rest of the guys threw money on the table, announcing their picks.

"Go Haley!" Nathan yelled and gave the confused Haley a thumb's up.

"You've got it, Molly!" Jim yelled.

"Use your elbows, Linz!" Eric yelled.

"The girl in the green dress? Be tough!" one of the guys, who didn't know any of the girls, yelled.

"Honey, aim left! Aim left!" Tony yelled to Solaris who merely rolled her eyes while laughing.

The girls looked at the rowdy guys like they were crazy.

"What the hell's that about?" Haley asked.

"They're guys, who knows." Molly said waving at Jim shyly.

"Alright, looks like we've got an interesting audience, girls." Solaris said to the group of women in front of her. "You ready?" she asked. "One! Two! Three!" she yelled and turned around so her back was facing them and threw the bouquet as hard as she could.

The guys watched almost in slow motion as the beautiful bouquet made its way through the air, towards the left side of the group.

The guys stood up slowly while chanting the name they had picked. The girls jumped and reached to grab the bouquet when it was close to them. Nathan watched proudly as Haley jumped the highest from all the others, trying to grab the bouquet. Touching the tips of her fingers, the bouquet continued its journey to the eager hands of the girl behind Haley. Molly.

Most of the guys groaned loudly in disappointment as Jim cheered.

"Way to go, baby!" Jim yelled as Molly waved the bouquet in the air with an excited grin.

"Oh, man." Nathan said sitting down.

"Dude, aren't you supposed to be working?" Eric asked from Jim half joking.

"Don't be a hater, man. Besides, Molly relieved me from my duties." Jim said with a grin while grabbing the bills from the table and starting to count them.

"You do know that you're the first to get married?" one of the guys asked.

Jim stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at the guys and then the excited Molly.

"Shit." He said first devastated but then shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, whatever. I still won. Good job, Molly!" Jim said when the girls joined the guys.

"Thanks." She said, sitting next to him.

"Hey..." Haley said with a smile and looked around for a free chair. When she saw none, she sat down gladly on Nathan's lap, throwing her legs over his left side.

"Hi." She said quietly with a smile while circling her arms around his neck, giving him a small kiss on the lips. "I missed you."

"Right back at ya." He said wrapping his hands around her.

"Hey, honey." Tony said when he saw his wife approaching them. "Were we that obnoxious when we first got together?"

"Oh, come on. They are adorable." Solaris said looking at the happy couple who was whispering something to each other while planting small kisses on the other.

"I mean, look at them." Solaris said still looking at the couple. "How can you think they are obnoxious? Can't you see the love and caring between them? You know, that's what love is ab- Oh, my god! I saw a tongue! Make them stop! Make them stop!!" Solaris said covering her eyes with her hands as the rest of the people around the table laughed.

Eric elbowed Nathan and Haley who were now making out.

"Guys, you're starting to scare us."

"Whoops, sorry." Haley said with a slight blush, keeping her left around his shoulders.

"No worries." Tony said.

"And no tongues." Solaris added quickly.

"Got it." Haley said saluting them.

They spent the rest of the day there, talking with the others, laughing and having fun and taking full advantage of the delicious food. The group was more than eager to hear their entire road trip story, everything from getting a flat tire and being forced to spend the night in a deserted camping area to the stories of Haley's crazy brothers and the time they had to race a couple for the last motel room.

It was almost 9 pm and only a handful of people were left.

"... so here we are now." Nathan finished the story.

"So, what's next for you guys?" Molly asked.

"Driving to LA, getting settled in and starting our life there, I guess." Haley said.

"And not driving for at least a month." Nathan said.

"Amen!" Haley said immediately. "Nathan's done most of the driving so far but I've had my share of time behind the wheel. We've literally spent like almost 50 hours in that car for the past 10 days."

"Don't forget the night we had to sleep in there."

"Oh yeah! Close to 60 hours." She said. "I'm pretty sure that the passenger seat has my ass printed on it permanently."

"One can only hope." Nathan said with a grin as the rest laughed.

"So, what's the first thing you're gonna do when you get there?" Linzie asked.

Haley looked at Nathan thoughtfully.

"I don't know." Nathan said after a while. "I kinda have everything I need right now."

"Aww, baby..." Haley said touched by his words and kissed him.

"Honey, we're going dancing." Solaris announced.

"But-"

"Now, before they get gross again." She said pulling Tony from his chair before he had time to protest again.

"Jim, let's go." Molly said as she followed their lead.

"Do I have to?" Jim said.

"Do you have to what? Dance or go back to work?" she asked with a grin.

"Dancing sounds perfect." Jim said quickly.

"That's what I thought." She said with a grin.

"They've been together for less than a day and he's already whipped." Eric said laughing.

"Oh, like you're not. Get up. I love this song." Linzie said and laughed when Eric immediately stood up.

Haley and Nathan broke their kiss to find a suddenly empty table. Nathan looked at Haley who was still sitting on his lap and sighed.

"You wanna go dance too, huh."

"Actually, I kinda got excited about the thought of going home." She said quietly and bit her lip while waiting for his answer.

"It's a 4-hour-drive." Nathan said. "We'd be there around 2 or 3 am."

"We can call Brooke." Haley said. "Besides, we don't even have a hotel reservation here."

"Okay, but only because you really, really want it and I'm a really, really nice guy." Nathan said kissing her.

"Thanks, baby." She said grinning and then whispered sultry, "I'll make it up to you."

"Oh, dear lord. What have I gotten myself into?" he said while getting up with a smirk.

"Oh, you have no idea." She said laughing while making their way towards Solaris and Tony, who were talking with their parents.

"Hey, we're gonna head off." Haley said.

"Already?" Solaris asked.

"Yeah, but thank you so much for everything!" Haley said hugging her while the guys said their goodbyes.

"No, thank you! You saved the wedding twice, remember."

"Well, it only needed saving the first time because of me." She said. "Though I still have no idea how the strap got ripped." She said.

"No one cares because it all worked out perfectly in the end." Solaris said. "Tell Designer-Brooke that she's a fashion genius and she can be sure I'll put in a good word for her."

"Will do." Haley said laughing. "Don't forget to e-mail me some wedding pictures!"

"I won't. Have a safe trip."

"We will. So, when are you moving to the city?"

"Tony's season starts in October, I think, so we'll probably be moving in September or something."

"I'll see you then. Have a great honeymoon." Haley said waving goodbye.

"Oh, we will." Tony said grinning. "Nate, e-mail me your address and I'll send you both season passes."

"Thanks, man. Good luck with the season." Nathan said and turned to look at Haley.

"Let's go, gorgeous."

They walked in silence, hand in hand, to Nathan's car. Opening the passenger side door to Haley, he smacked her ass lightly when she climbed in.

"Hey..." she said laughing.

"You sure you don't wanna change?" he asked once sitting next to her while looking at her black, strapless dress and the high heels she was wearing.

"I thin-"

"Because I'd be more than happy to help you with your dress. And bra." He grinned.

"Nah, I think I'm good for now." She said and laughed when he groaned disappointed.

"You ready?" he asked and turned the ignition on.

"Los Angeles, here we come."

"Home sweet home."

--------------

So, there you go. Any thoughts? What was good? Bad? I'll post the Epilogue either during the weekend or on Monday/Tuesday. Until then... review. :)

-Fes


	16. Our Journey

Hey, everyone. Here we go. The very last chapter of "The Journey"... It's been a great ride, I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I did. Now, for the last time (until my next fic), please enjoy. :)

--------

Quote of the day: One Tree Hill

Brooke: "You wanna know what I think? I think Nathan likes tutor girl, tutor girl likes Lucas, and I know I like Lucas, and I have no idea who the hell you like any more so this has been turned into one big love... rectangle plus one... whatever that is!"

---------

**Our Journey (Epilogue).**

_August 30th, 2008. Los Angeles._

_Dear diary, it's been 4 days since our road trip ended. 4 days but it feels more like 4 months. The 10 days Nathan and I spent together... It's something so much more than just a trip. _

_The minute we got to LA and Brooke found out about us, she told me to tell everything about Nathan and me. I didn't know what to say. It wasn't one moment or one conversation that led us together and falling in love. It was the outcome of 10 days together, caring and looking after for one another._

_So, I told her about the time when we had to spend the night in a deserted camping are in Utah, when Nathan fell asleep on the wheel somewhere in Pennsylvania and almost killed me, when we raced a couple so we could get the last motel room in Indiana, when we partied with my brothers in Iowa and when he beat up Chris Keller in Nebraska. She didn't really understand how any of that was relevant so I just told her about Solaris's wedding in Vegas when Nathan had told me about his feelings._

_We've come such a long way together, Nathan and I. 10 days. 3500 miles. What we went through, what we experienced together and the connection and bond that we share... _

_It can't be explained. It can't be put into words. It just is._

_The last 4 days have been hectic with all the settling in, unpacking and everything and I haven't had time to really keep you updated. So, let me catch you up on everything since we left the wedding in Vegas and started our way towards LA..._

_It was very bittersweet. We were both more than anxious to get home and not have to spend another minute in that car but at the same time, it would mean the end of our trip. Could we survive in the real world? Or did we only function as a couple when we were on the road, by ourselves?_

"Haley?"

Silence.

"Haley?"

Silence.

"Hales?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you sleeping?"

"No... mmmm..."

Nathan chuckled as Haley's answer turned into a quiet snore. He reached to the back seat to grab a blanket. Keeping his other hand on the wheel, he spread the blanket on her. They'd been driving for almost 4 hours and it was way past midnight. Haley had fallen asleep a while ago but Nathan didn't mind the silence. Besides, now he got to watch her sleep.

Nathan couldn't believe how far they'd made it and not just in a geographical way. If you had told him 10 days ago that not only would he survive the 10 days with his nemesis, but he would also enjoy it and actually fall in love with her, he would've laughed at your face. And then beaten you up.

He looked at Haley when she mumbled something about chocolate in her sleep. Smiling to himself, he turned his attention back on the road.

With mixed feelings, he noticed a road sign informing him that they should arrive to LA in no time. He frowned when he realized that soon he'd have to wake her up and end their road trip.

Noticing something in the distance, he suddenly got an idea how to make the trip just a bit longer. He smiled as he took the first exit out.

---------

A while later Haley woke up. Still sitting in the passenger side, she looked to her left to the driver's side but frowned when she found no Nathan. She then noticed that they had stopped and were no longer on the road. Looking around confused, she didn't see a road or a gas station or anything that would indicate that they were somewhere on the highway instead she saw trees and a picnic table, reminding her of the resting stop in Utah where she and Nathan had spent the night when they had a blown a tire.

She then looked straight ahead and smiled when she saw him sitting on the hood of the car, looking into the distance. She unfastened her seat belt and jumped out of the car.

"Hey..." Haley said while slamming the door shut.

"Hey, how did you sleep?" Nathan asked watching her stretch her arms while yawning and then smooth the dress she was wearing. Neither had changed after the wedding so Haley was still wearing her strapless, little black dress and he had his dress shirt with the few top buttons undone.

"Good..." she said while walking up to him, circling her hands around his neck and giving him a small kiss. "So, what's going on?" she asked, standing between Nathan's legs. Her hands were around him, playing with the soft hair on his neck.

He noticed with a smile that even though she was tip toeing on her high heels and he was sitting on the hood of the car, she was still shorter than him.

"Nothing... Just didn't want to wake you up yet." He said holding her loosely by her waist, drawing slow circles with his thumb through the fabric, making the butterlies in Haley's stomach go crazy.

"So, where are we?" she asked looking around.

"Look ahead." He said and looked over her shoulder into the distance. She looked at him with a small, suspicious smile but turned around anyways.

"Oh, my... Is that the-"

"Hollywood sign? Yep." He said finishing her sentence while wrapping his arms around her neck as she gladly leaned deeper into his embrace.

"It's bigger than I thought." Haley said still looking at the sign.

"That's what she said." Nathan said with a playful tone. Haley let out a loud laugh when she realized the double meaning.

"Someone's been watching 'The Office'." She said still laughing.

"Oh, like you haven't. Few days ago you were babbling on and on about how you think that Pam and Jim would be 'soooo cute' together." He said with a high voice while laughing when she turned to look at him.

"They would!" she said with a smile as she turned to face the Hollywood sign again. "And I so don't sound like that, mister."

They both fell silent and kept their eyes on the sign in the distance, both deep in their thoughts.

"How did we get here?" Haley asked quietly after a short silence, enjoying Nathan's arms around her.

"Well, we started off from North Carolina, I-95 North to New York and from New York we stayed a hell of a long time on I-80 West-"

"That's not what I meant."

"I know." He said and sighed. "I don't know how we got here. All I know is that one minute I thought you were this annoying, stuck up – but a hot – girl who talked too much and the next minute you're not so annoying any more, you're even more hot and I can't stop thinking about you." He whispered in her ear while leaning his chin on her shoulder and keeping his arms tightly around her.

"Yeah, I thought you were this cocky, shallow jock with a manwhorish side and suddenly you're like the sweetest guy I know. With a totally hot bod." She said and squeezed his bicep while turning to look up at him with a playful grin.

"You only love me because you think I look good shirtless." He pouted.

"And you only love me because you think I look good in a bikini." She said in a matching voice.

They looked at each other with those pouty lips for few seconds until they both burst out laughing at the same time.

"We've come a long way." She said after a while.

"Yep... Any regrets on anything?" he asked.

"I don't know... I wish I hadn't been such a bitch in the beginning." She said apologetically.

"And I wish I hadn't been a jerk." He said apologetically.

"You're forgiven if I am." She said offering her hand to him. He quickly shook it.

"Oh, totally. Besides, you're like the cutest mean person I know." He said with a grin. "Whenever you're mad you get these little wrinkles around your eyes and your mouth is all pursed. I gotta admit that when we had our last few fights, I kinda annoyed you on purpose."

"Nathan!" she yelled but couldn't help but smile. Who could be mad when someone as hot as Nathan was saying you're cute?

"Oh, like you didn't enjoy yelling at me." He said laughing.

"I did enjoy it." She admitted but then frowned in confusion. "Do you think we would have ever gotten together if it wasn't for this road trip?"

"Oh, I'm positive. I can totally see us getting stuck in an elevator in the dormitory or something." Nathan said.

"True..." she said. "But I wouldn't change this trip for anything." Haley said resting the back of her head against his chest and closing her eyes.

"You tired?"

"I'm perfect... I love you."

"Love you too, baby."

They both fell silent and enjoyed the complete silence and peaceful atmosphere for the first time in a really long time. They weren't fighting, flirting or having one of their awkward silences; they just enjoyed the other's company.

They had gone through so much and experienced so many things, that they didn't think they could even begin to explain their story to someone. The bond and the understanding they had formed would keep them connected forever.

Especially for Haley the past 10 days had been life changing. She had gone from a rock star's girlfriend, to the cheated ex-girlfriend, to the grown up and mature woman who fell in love with her nemesis.

The change wasn't drastic for Haley only, also Nathan had done his share of soul searching. Less than two weeks ago he couldn't wait for college to start so he could go to all the parties and have fun by hooking up with as many girls as possible. Now he was still waiting for college to start but only so he could be together Haley and start his life with her.

They had been together through ups and downs and had supported each other when the times had been tough. Even though they had practically hated each other and had been almost ready to kill one another, they had always been there for each other.

So now, 3500 miles and 10 days later, wrapped in each other's arms they both realized that it was meant to be, that _they_ were meant to be.

Nathan kissed her lightly on the neck while inhaling the fresh smell of her hair.

Still sitting on the hood of the car between Nathan's legs, her back leaning against his chest, she reached to twine her fingers with Nathan's with a happy, blissful smile. He looked down and gave her a happy peck on the shoulder. Then a kiss. Then a slower kiss. Not being able to get enough of her intoxicating scent, he started to lightly suck the side of her neck.

Haley shuddered and took in a shaky breath as she felt goose bumps crawl all over her neck. Swallowing hard and biting her lip, she tried to keep her moans to herself. She first succeeded but as soon as his lips hit the delicate, soft spot right below her ear, she couldn't help but let out a deep moan. Feeling her body shudder lightly under his arms and hearing her moan, he tightened his arms around her.

By taking deep breaths and keeping her eyes closed, she tried to keep herself together. Just as she thought she was going to get control of her body, Nathan's lips touched her ear lobe. Her eyes flew open and the moan Nathan had a moment ago fell in love, escaped her lips again. As she enjoyed the wonderful touches and feelings she had never felt before, she knew she needed more.

She quickly turned around in his arms so that she was still standing on the ground between his legs, but this time facing him. She stared at him for few seconds, biting her lower lip and taking in her breath. Nathan looked at her first annoyed for breaking the connection but then noticed that her flushed face and eyes that seemed to be a shade darker. Nathan saw the smirk on her face and looked at her confused.

"Wha-" Nathan barely got the word out of his mouth when Haley had already wrapped her hands around him and crashed her lips against his.

It took him about a half a second to realize what was going on but once he did, his body reacted immediately. Grabbing her by her hips, he pulled her as close to him as possible while returning her hungry kisses. Kissing him passionately she gladly pressed her whole body against his and smiled to herself when she physically felt just how much he was enjoying her kisses.

Their kisses and touches grew even hungrier and demanding as their hands roamed every inch of the others body. Feeling the need for more skin, Haley started to unbutton his shirt slowly while never breaking the kiss. Nathan's hands found his way to the back of her dress where the zipper was.

Just as she had unbuttoned his shirt and thrown it away, she could feel her dress slipping. Grabbing it quickly from the front to keep it from falling, she looked up to meet Nathan's eyes. She took a step back from him and never breaking eye connection or letting the smirk die on her face, she slowly let go of the dress, letting it fall on the ground.

Nathan could feel his throat -and pants- tighten as he saw the dress fall on the ground. Staring at the beautiful, black dress that was now on the ground on Haley's feet, he gulped when she slowly took a step forward and kicked the dress behind her, showing the 4-inch-stilettos that she was still wearing.

His eyes started to slowly move their way up, taking in every inch of her body. Her shiny, silky legs; the tiny, black panties; and the matching strapless push up bra, left him completely speechless.

"You are..." Nathan said and cleared his throat when only whisper came out. "...you are... so... a.. You're a frigging goddess, that's what you are."

"You're not looking too bad either..." she purred, enjoying every lust filled look he laid on her body, while slowly wrapping her hands around his neck and sucking his lower lip.

"Baby..." Nathan muttered while looking around them and the hood of the car, realizing that they were still in some rest stop where anyone could come and interrupt them and as much as the possibility of getting caught excited him, he would not take the chance of anyone else than him seeing Haley in her current wardrobe.

Haley, knowing what he was thinking, brought her lips right next to his ear so that he could feel her hot breath on his neck.

"We _do_ have a back seat."

She grinned when Nathan looked at her with wide, dark, passionate eyes. He looked at her for less than a second before jumping down from the hood of the car, throwing a giggling Haley over his shoulder while enjoying the view of her butt on his shoulder. With a wide grin he opening the back door and set the grinning girl down before closing the door behind him.

Because of the night they had spent in the back of the car, the second row seats were still down. And now with all the wedding dresses delivered, they had even more room in the back.

Kneeling on the floor, Nathan stared at Haley, who was lying on her back, resting on her elbows, one leg slightly up. Her lips were swollen and she was panting hard, trying to catch her breath after all the kissing. With an excited grin, she took a hold of this belt and pulled him slowly until he was on top of her.

With matching smirks, Nathan closed the distance between their lips and continued to explore her mouth and body.

"Are you sure about this?" Nathan asked when Haley started to work on undressing his pants while kissing him fiercely.

Haley stopped kissing him for a second to think about his question. Did she really want their first time to be in a car? She gave him a small smile.

"We fell in love in this car. Might as well make love in it too."

"Makes sense..." he said with a smirk before continuing their kisses again.

It was like they were two kids that had seen peanut butter and candy for the first time since being starved for a decade, that's how much they needed and wanted to feel the other. The passion and love they felt was both blinding and intoxicating. An atomic bomb could've gone off two miles from them, and they wouldn't have had any idea.

They had opened up to the other, trusted them and respected them. Both were so head over heels in love that the thought of _not _spending every single minute together felt upsetting.

"Watch the knees, baby."

-------------

_So, our first time together was in a car. Two weeks ago I would've never had sex in a car but now it only made sense. Like I told Nathan; we fell in love in that car so why not make love also. I seriously love that car! It's where Nathan and I spent most of our time and got to know the other. Sure, in the beginning we mostly just fought but it quickly changed into very heavy flirting. That SUV was our home for 10 days. _

_Nathan Scott... How to describe him... I love him so much. Ok, that's like the understatement of the year. I really can't even begin to explain how much because even I don't know how much. He's all I can think about, all I can talk about. He's everything I want, everything I need._

_But thank god I'm not the only one because Nathan seems to be on the same page with me. Whenever we're not together he's always calling me and making sure I'm okay. And when we are together, he's not afraid to show me how much he cares about me. And he makes damn sure everyone around us knows it too. _

_Brooke and Lucas have already named us "LA's Most Nauseating Couple" (which is a lot coming from the couple who was voted Prom King and Queen and dubbed as the 'PDA-couple of the year'. I don't know if I should be worried...)_

_Not only do they think we're that bad, but so do the rest of the people around us. They know not to mess with us, or mess with me, to be exact. Nathan's developed quite the possessive side to him. Not that him being jealous and overprotective is any news to me. Just yesterday he almost beat up a guy because he accidentally bumped into me outside Nathan's dorm. Nathan thought the guy was trying to feel me up or something. So, Nathan yelled at him a bit. Well, at least his whole floor knows that I'm taken. _

_Not that I'm any different from him. I still glare at any girl who dares to make eye contact with Nathan for more than half a second. You wouldn't believe the amount of skanks we have living in the same building with us. Disgusting. _

_Brooke says most of the girls (read: skanks) are only being friendly, like that one girl who held the door open for Nathan when he came from the opposite direction. What. A. Bitch. I had to have a little "talk" with her afterwards. Needless to say, we won't be buddies for a while. Or at least for as long as she's gonna stay locked up in that cleaning closet... I'm totally kidding! She got away. _

_Eventually._

_Anyways... Everything is perfect. I love my dorm room (and especially the fact that Nathan lives only 2 floors above me) and my roommate is really nice too. The office where I'm starting my internship seems very relaxed but challenging and the best thing is that the staff is young and motivated. Should be fun._

_Nathan, Lucas and I had our freshman orientation yesterday. Pretty basic stuff. Had to fill out some forms, register to classes and we got tons of information about upcoming events, especially parties. Nathan tries to act like he doesn't care about them but I know he does. It's in his nature. But the fact that he's willing to skip them for me, is beyond cute._

_Dear diary, we're nearing the end. Only few more pages left until I have to start a new one, my 8th diary. I've been writing diaries since I got a writing assignment my freshman year in high school. I got so used to it that even after the assignment I kept up the habit. _

_It's kinda funny that it only took me six diaries to write the four years of my high school life but one whole diary to write the past two weeks. That's how significant the road trip was to me. I wanna remember every single detail of it and luckily I have this diary for that._

_It's only suiting that this is the last of this diary and I can start a new one for college life with Nathan. We're literally turning a page in our relationship._

_Few more pages to go... What to write, what to write... Well, the meeting with Brooke when I got to LA and she found out about Nathan and I was pretty interesting... Here's what happened..._

3 days ago...

"Haley!"

Haley turned around and pushed the huge sunglasses on her forehead while looking around, trying to find her friend. She had been in the city for less than 6 hours and Brooke had already called her wanting to meet Haley in a small café close by.

"Haley!"

Still being unable to locate Brooke, Haley looked around even more. She smiled to herself when she spotted a tanned girl with huge designer sunglasses waving furiously to her from a corner table. Haley waved quickly back and started her way towards her.

"Hey, honey!"

"Oh, my god! It's so good to see you!"

"You too, Brooke."

"So, how was the rest of the trip?" she asked. "It took you guys forever to get here. I talked to Solaris and she said that you left like 10 pm last night. What time did you get to LA?" Brooke said.

"Around 9 am." She said shyly.

"What took you so long?"

"We stopped to... to rest." Haley said and blushed a bit.

"You ok?" Brooke asked when she saw Haley's flushed face.

"Yep, you look really tanned." Haley said changing the subject.

"That's pretty much everything I've been doing for the past week. That's how bored I've been." She said waving for the waiter to come. "Hi, one tuna salad and a diet coke."

"And for you?" the waited asked from Haley.

"The same." Haley said.

"So..." Brooke started in an uncomfortable voice once they got their drinks. "On a scale of 1 to 10, how mad are you at me?"

"I'm not mad." Haley said with a small smile while twirling the water glass between her fingers.

"Honey, you don't have to be nice. I can take the anger." Brooke said.

"Why would I be mad?" Haley said.

"Haley, I remember the look on your face 10 days ago when you found out that both Lucas and I couldn't come on the road trip. You wanted to strangle us both, and you hadn't even left then yet. Now, after the whole thing, I can only imagine how angry you must be."

"Brooke, I'm not angry." Haley said with a smile.

"Honey, you can be honest." Brooke said taking a hold of Haley's hand and looking at her sympathetically.

"Brooke, listen to me. I'm not mad." She said still smiling.

"Ok... What's with the smile?"

"What smile?" Haley asked blushing even more.

Brooke looked at Haley suspiciously. Suddenly she gasped out loud.

"I know that smile! That's the I-just-had-sex-and-it-was-gooooood –smile! You've totally had sex!" she said.

"What? No, I haven't." She said wondering how obvious she had to be for Brooke to realize it so quickly.

"You have! Don't lie, I can read you like a book, darling." Brooke said.

Haley looked at her for a second, thinking whether she should lie or just tell her the truth.

"Fine, so I did." She said and laughed when Brooke squealed loudly and clapped her hands in enthusiasm.

"Oh, my god! You have to tell me everything! Was it a friend of Tony's? Solaris always told me how hot his basketball buddies are! So, was it a basketball player?" Brooke said.

"Yeah, it was a basketball player." Haley said with a wide grin.

"Way to go, girl! Especially after everything you went through with Chris..." Brooke said. "How are you holding up?" she asked worried.

"I'm good." Haley said honestly. "It was tough at first but I'm ok now."

"I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you." Brooke said.

"Oh, don't worry. Nathan took care of me." Haley said.

"Nathan? That's a first." Brooke said. "So, how did you two get along?"

"Well, first we fought a lot."

"That was expected."

"But then... not so much." Haley said smiling to herself as Brooke looked at her suspiciously.

"That's good..." Brooke said.

"Yeah, we realized that getting along is so much more fun that fighting." Haley said with a softer voice. "We really got to know each other."

Brooke noticed the change in her and studied her carefully. Her voice was now kind, her eyes soft and she had that Mona Lisa "I know something you don't" –smile on her face. And it had all happened when she had mentioned Nathan. Brooke's eyes flew wide open at the realization and she accidentally spilled her drink on the table.

"Oh, my god! Nathan's the basketball player! You totally hooked up with Nathan!"

"What? I- No- How did you know?" Haley asked and started to wipe the wet table with a tablecloth.

"Are you kidding me? You might as well have 'I slept with Nathan' written on your forehead! That's how obvious it is." Brooke said with a grin.

"I can't believe you can just read me like that!"

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about this."

"We were gonna do it tonight when Lucas is here. We wanted to tell you together."

"Well, how did it happen?" Brooke asked eager for to know it all.

"After we realized that fighting sucks, we started talking and we got to know each other and then the whole thing with Chris happened and Nathan really showed his sweet side. He totally looked after me and took care of me and he even beat up Chris Keller for me." Haley said with a proud voice.

"How sweet!" Brooke said smiling.

"I know! Then we blew a tire, had to spent the night in the car and we kinda kissed in the water. After that we had this ridiculous, stupid uncomfortable phase where we were all awkward with each other." Haley explained. "Then the poker night with his buddies came up and we got into a huge fight. The next day at the wedding we had another fight but it ended up him telling me how he felt and me telling him I felt the same way." Haley said.

"Wow... Who would've known..." Brooke said. "Wait. So, you had sex with him? When?"

"That's kinda personal, Brooke." Haley said smiling.

"Oh, personal 'smersonal'. I wanna know." She said.

"Fine. It was after the wedding, it was perfect and the best moment of my life and that's all I'm gonna say." Haley said.

"Fine, I'm satisfied." Brooke said.

"That's what she said." Haley said and started to laugh to herself when Brooke looked at her with a confused look. "Sorry, it's an inside joke with Nathan and I."

"Great. So, you two have inside jokes now. Fantastic."

"Oh, come on. Like you and Luke don't live in your own little world whenever you're together." Haley said grinning.

"Ok, so maybe we do." Brooke confessed and looked at Haley for a second with a smile. "You're in love with him, aren't you."

"Yeah." Haley said with a shy smile.

"Good for you, honey." Brooke said. "Oh my god! We can totally go on double dates together!"

"Easy there. Nathan and I wanna take it slow." Haley said.

"By sleeping on the first date?" Brooke asked with a grin.

"It wasn't a first date." Haley said.

"I know, I was just kidding." Brooke said smiling. "So, I guess you're pretty thankful for Lucas and me for skipping the trip. I mean, without us you two wouldn't be together."

"Maybe not now but we would've eventually gotten together. Somehow." Haley said.

"True." Brooke said. "I bet you wouldn't have been mad at us and yelled if you had known how it would turn out." Brooke said.

"Probably not." Haley said. "I hated you two so much when you told me you weren't coming... I remember the first few days Nathan and I were on each other's throats constantly. I mean, we pretty much fought about anything possible. But you're right, I wouldn't have thrown that little tantrum back then if I had known." Haley said.

"I remember you saying you wouldn't be normal after 10 days with Nathan." Brooke said laughing.

"Oh, that's still true." Haley said seriously.

"But-"

"Brooke, I'm not normal... In fact, I'm pretty much the opposite of normal."

"If you're not normal, then what are you?"

"I'm in love."

_After all dear diary, didn__'t someone very famous once say that it's not the destination; it's the journey._

_And our journey is only beginning._

The End

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AN: Wow, I can't believe we're here. After 16 chapters, over six months of writing, 224 pages on Word and now we're finally here. Though this is the 4th OTH fanfic that I've started and finished, it still feels very surreal and I know that I'll probably never get used to the feeling.

I'm not sure where I got the inspiration for 'The Journey', I've always loved road trips and travelling in general but there was no exact inspiration for this. It just sorta came to life in its own. It was by far the funniest story to write even though it took me the longest. I did a lot of MapQuest research so all the places, roads, etc. actually exist.

I can't begin to thank each and every one you for reading and reviewing. It really means the world to me and it's the sole reason that kept me writing when I felt I reached a writer's block. I have to ask for one last review though. :) What was good about the story? What was bad? Was something particularly funny? Sad? What did you find annoying or over the top? Would you change something? Constructive criticism is always welcome. :)

About my future fanfics… No, there probably won't be a sequel to "The Journey". I just feel like I've already told the story that I wanted to tell, you know. I've already started to write a new Naley fic but for the first time in my life (when it comes to writing), I feel extremely anxious. I don't know if I'm making a huge mistake and if it's gonna be a complete waste of my time. And I need your help in trying to figure out if I should just abandon the idea and come up with a new one. :)

See, the thing is that the new fic that I've started to write is based on the MTV reality show "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" which in itself is the recipe for disaster. :D It's gonna be very different from the show though, for example all the characters are gonna be from OTH and none from the actual show. But still, writing an OTH fic about MTV reality show is highly risky so I need you to be brutally honest with me and tell me if it's a bad idea or that if you think it can't be done.

Here's the summary to give some clue what to except:

10 weeks, 20 people, $200 000. "Haley, come on. It's gonna be like a fun, relaxing, long vacation. I _promise_." As soon as Haley James heard the word "promise" from her sister's mouth, she should've known better than to agree to apply to an MTV reality show with her. But she did. And they got in. Clueless on what she had gotten herself into, Haley must battle the social, mental and physical challenges while dealing with the demons from her past. Facing the grueling, brutal challenges; the crazy, drama filled contestants; and not to even mention the constant camera crew around, Haley must come to terms with what she wants, what she needs and what she has to do.

So, there you go… Do you think it can be done?

Thank you all for sharing this fic with me, I truly appreciated every single review, good or bad, I got. :) And who knows, maybe one day I'll do the same road trip as Nathan and Haley did. :) If so, please god let me have someone as hot as Nathan with me. :P

Peace.

-Fes-


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